From Here to Frell
by jades113
Summary: When a modern teenager gets lost in New York City she is magicaly transported to the world that Ella knows.She even meets her!But,she also meets a prince of her own. When faced with the chance to leave- will she go? Or will she stay with the one she loves
1. Lost!

My story is a pretty interesting one. Of course, it didn't start out that way. It started out like any other girl's life. I was born to a rich and successful couple, who had decided to try their hand at parenting. I was, perhaps, spoiled as a child, but to me, that was the way things were. I didn't think anything of it. Nothing too interesting happened in my early childhood. I was practically raised by our housekeeper, Myra. Um, yeah, that's about it. Oh, except that I had a dog once. As it turned out, my mom was allergic, so we had to give him away. Other than that - nope - pretty ordinary. I was just your average teenage girl... Well, okay. Maybe I was a _bit_ shallow. And immature. Alright, I was. Both. But what teenage girl isn't? Especially a teenage girl with very rich parents.

The interesting part of my life arrived suddenly; without warning and unexpected - like countless other days.

* * *

I got off the bus without stopping texting my best friend Gabbrielle. We were talking about how totally unfair the pop quiz had been that creepy Mr. Glencoe had given us in World History II class. I mean, _really_, how was _any_one supposed to know some of the stuff on that stupid quiz?

I started walking in the general direction of my apartment - not really paying much attention - and kept texting Gabby. I never looked up. Why would I? I'd walked the same route hundreds of times.

We were having a pretty intense conversation. It had changed from History to the much more interesting topic of Damien, the hot new guy from California. He was in three classes with me, and _four_ with Gabbrielle. _And_ he talked to her today. We were both pretty excited. After all, Damien _was_ the hottest guy in our senior class.

I stubbed my toe on a particularly big crack in the sidewalk.

Naturally this alerted me to my surroundings. I looked up to feel the blood freeze in my veins.

What I saw was totally unfamiliar.

Somehow, I had ended up nowhere near my apartment. I must have gotten off the bus at the wrong stop in my distraction.

I should have noticed the growing darkness! Wherever I was, streetlights seemed to be an endangered species. The buildings were all tall, windowless, and made of brick. There was a shop here and there, but the shops' windows were broken or boarded up, and I didn't feel like going into them.

Everything seemed ominous.

A man dressed in black that looked like he could have been a mass murderer sneered at me as he walked by. He was missing several teeth.

Scenes from horror movies I'd seen flashed through my head. This was the kind of location that those things happened! People kidnapped, robbed, raped, brutally murdered, and/or left to die a slow painful death!

_Ew. That does not sound pleasant.  
_

I shuddered and abruptly turned around and started walking back the way I'd come.

I looked up at the sky. What time _was_ it?

I glanced at the clock on my phone and felt a mixture of surprise and a scare. There was _no way_ that I'd been texting Gabby for a solid two hours! I should have noticed the time slipping by! Of course, I'd also been talking to Jeremy and Cassandra and Tanya... still! _Two hours_?

That meant that it was 6:00.

It was early November.

Which meant that it was it starting to get pretty dark.

My anxiety level seemed to increase with the growing darkness.

Well, I couldn't wait around here in the dark for something horrible to happen to me!

I took out my cell phone again to call Myra or the police, whichever one I would need. But then I saw a very scary looking man - at least I think it was a man - with piercings dripping from his ears, his nose, his eyebrows, his lips, and even his tongue. He (?) had spiky blue hair that stood on end in high, foot-long spikes.

He was leaning against a brick building and leering at me.

He was smoking something that didn't smell like a cigarette.

I didn't like the way he eyed my now-lit up phone. I slipped it back into my pocked as nonchalantly as I could.

I could hear my heart thud in my head; it's speed increased as I neared the creep. But I had to get passed him - I had come from that direction!

Again, I felt like I was in some horror movie; I could almost hear the creepy music playing in the background.

I picked up my pace.

I couldn't resist squeezing my eyes shut in my nervousness as I passed him. I felt a shiver go up and down my back. Then I thought I felt breath on the back of my neck, and I couldn't resist looking backwards.

To my utter horror, the man had stood up, stomped out his smoke, and started to stalk me.

I pulled out my phone again, this time to call 911. But before I could push '9', the creep had begun to sprint towards me.

I screamed and started running, but my pursuer was faster than me; he quickly caught up. He tore my backpack from my shoulder. I let him have it and continued to run as fast as my strength would allow. The adrenaline in my system allowed me to run faster than I ever have before, but Blue-Head was still faster.

"Stop!" he yelled. I still wasn't sure if 'he' was a actually a guy or not, but I didn't want to find out that much at the moment, and I kept running.

"You jus' makin' it worst for youself! I'm in ah good mood righ now, but if you keep runnin it aint gonna stay that way!" he continued to yell. His (or her) voice was rough and scratchy sounding.

"I'll call the police!" I shrieked.

I seriously regretted not taking gym that year. I was totally out of shape and the guy was practically treading on my heels. I was panting and had a stitch in my side, but my pursuer was apparently not even the slightest bit winded; I heard him laughing.

"Tell you what, I'm goin' tuh be _real_ nice. I'm goin' tah say, gimmie the jacket, phone, and any money you got, an' than you can go on ur way real nice and pleasent," he said loudly. He sounded amused, "Call the police, and you'll be dead before they get here."

I gulped.

"You may be wondrin why I'm bein so nice. Mostly it's acuz I'm in a good mood and plus you look so damn helpless. Usuly I'd see that as an opportunity, but, as I said, I'm in a good mood."

I slowed down, partly because I couldn't keep running, and partly because I was considering his offer.

I had no reason to trust him, I knew that, but taking this chance was better than just letting him mob me and leave me dying in the street, right? Or, if he was a guy, rape me. Maybe, this way, there was a _chance_ I would walk away from this relatively unscathed.

I stopped.

"Fine!" I snorted. I tried to sound indignant. I don't think it worked. I was still very out of breath, and shaking from fear.

I tossed my phone, backpack, and jacket over to Blue-Head. Losing my stuff wasn't a big deal really, my parents could just buy me a new ipod nano and cell phone. They wouldn't care. They traveled a lot, and out of guilt, bought me whatever I wanted. The only catch was that I had to stay out of their way. That wasn't too hard. They were so rarely around, I would never have a chance of getting in their way.

Maybe I'd get a detention for losing my homework.

Maybe I'd get a lot of detentions. One from every class.

I could imagine telling my teacher what'd happened.

"A gangster stole my homework." Yeah right. At least it was a step-up from the classic excuse, "My dog ate my homework.", though it wasn't too high of an upgrade.

The real problem was losing my only way to call home.

At least Blue-Head was happy. He smiled a creepy, toothless smile and casually walked in the opposite direction from me with his loot.

I felt relieved.

Almost.

I was still alone and lost in New York City at night. And in a bad neighborhood too.

I walked on.

I shivered.

I regreted giving up my coat. It was starting to get pretty cold, even with a sweater and shirt underneath.

I could see my breath.

Whatever road I was on didn't have any cars going by in it, so I couldn't try hitchiking or anything. Not that I would want to hitchhike in any cars that would go through here.

Luckily, nobody else approached me, even though I passed quite a few misshapen, shabby, and unfortunate beings.

_Well,_ I thought, _ this is what I get, I guess, for wanting an adventure._

This morning I'd come up with the whole plan: something exciting would happen to me that night. I had wanted a break from my totally boring life. I'd _yearned_ for it. I'd even pictured myself in the dark with something spinning around me so fast... well, now maybe it'd be my_ life_ spinning around me.

It was dark. Something exciting (but not in the good way I'd assumed) was happening to me. The old saying, 'Be Careful What You Wish For' rang in my mind.

Eventually I came to a tiny space between two buildings that I could slip through.

I did, but I had to go sideways.

The only reason I went through the crack was because I hoped that on the other side of these buildings would be a familiar street - or one with people, at least.

I could see a light at the end of the crack.

'The light at the end of the tunnel' - how ironic.

I was shaking, partly form the cold, and partly from fear.

I felt compressed - like a sandwich - between the cold bricks of the buildings on either side of me.

Finally, I plunged out of the crack, wishing with every fiber of my being that I would end up on a busy street.

I saw a streetlight. Nothing more. I tried to continue towards it but something stopped me from going anywhere.

I didn't see anything blocking my way. But something - crazily enough - something seemingly _invisible_ prevented me from moving forward. It was as if a glass wall stood in my way.

I could still see the streetlight - until it suddenly went out.

I started to panic.

I took a step backwards, but something stopped me from going backwards too!

This was _not_ good - I was claustrophobic.

I tried to go to one side and then the other, but something stopped me from going either way too.

I was trapped in an invisible box.

I started screaming.

Whatever was blocking my way was smooth, hard, and cold. As I said, just like glass. The thought - the hope - that this would be as fragile as glass suddenly occurred to me.

I started to pound on the surface in front of me as hard as I could with both my hands balled up into fists.

I didn't stop screaming.

I felt like everything was surrounding me, pushing on me from all sides; like I was a caged animal in a zoo. And the cage was getting smaller.

Soon the walls would render me totally incapacitated; I swore the walls kept getting closer!

That was I always how felt in small, enclosed spaces.

This was worse because I couldn't even see what I was enclosed in!

My stomach lurched and I started to sweat.

My head spun.

My breath came heavy and hard; I stopped screaming.

I suddenly realized that my invisible box was moving, and moving at alarming pace. My eyes rolled back into my head as I slumped to the floor of my box, but, unfortunately I stayed conscious.

**Author's Note: If you're reading this for the first time, please note that I'm re-writing this right now, so if the next chapter really really sucks, (worse than this) you'll know that I didn't get that far in the re-writing. If you're reading this for not-the-first time, I'm sorry, but when I rewrite it, I think it deletes your reviews... SORRY! But thanks for the reviews in the first place!**


	2. You in Frell!

It started to spin.

I closed my eyes; I also got motion sickness.

It spun faster and faster, so fast that I was glued to the back and unable to lift a finger.

I felt sicker and sicker.

I couldn't make a sound anymore; and breathing was an extremely difficult process.

It spun on and on, seemingly forever.

I had no idea how long it spun - it could have been seconds, or minutes, or hours, or days, I just spent the entire time trying to make it through to the next breath.

Finally it started to slow.

I knew it was slowing because my head started to spin in the opposite direction and I was able to move a little.

I threw up, and the - er - puke - wasn't there. Somehow it had dissappeared. Was there some way it had gone through the barrier that wouldn't let me through?

I felt like some sort of wind was pushing against me, trying to keep me against the tiny wall.

I pushed against the wind to lift an arm and push against the barrier in front of me. It was still there, and still as obstinate as ever.

The box started to stin slower and slower until it came to a gentle stop.

The actual movement was gentle, but as soon as it stopped a bright light suddenly engulfed; instantly blinding me.

The box may have stopped spinning, but my head didn't.

I concentrated on not getting sick again.

All I could see was the bright light; I couldn't even see my hands on my face.

I must have stood there for a while.

Finally, after my head stopped spinning, I somehow managed to pry myself off the wall and stand straight.

That's when my brain started to work again.

_What_ had just happened?

Maybe this was a nightmare.

Could people get sick in nightmares?

There was no logical reason to explain what had happened.

Maybe somebody had hit me so hard that they knocked me out when I went through the crack.

Maybe I had died.

Maybe I was unconcious - kind of in the same situation as Dorothy in the _Wizard of Oz_.

I decided that The most logical explinations were either that I'd died or was in Oz.

Actually, the Oz seemed like the most rational, because in the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's house spins around super fast and everything, right?

So, I wasn't going to spend any more time trying to figure it out here - eventually I'd wake up again anyway.

But had whatever just happened really taken _all night_?

It was obvious that the light I was seeing was sunlight.

Oh yeah - no being weirded out - odd things happened in Oz.

My eyes were starting to adjust.

I didn't see the familiar and comforting tall buildings of New York City.

I didn't see any munchkins either.

What I saw was too... open. It made me feel like the entire world could see me.

There was a cottage with barred windows and no door directly in front of me, and rolling hills beyond that.

I turned around. I seemed to be on the edge of a very very tiny village - but it was more like a cluster of houses than a village. Nobody was approaching the cottage behind me. Maybe it was a jail.

Maybe this was my own Oz, because I didn't see a yellow brick road, a house, or a witch's legs anywhere. And I'm pretty sure there was no munchkind-jail in the _Wizard of Oz_.

I took a step forward.

Apparently, my invisible barrier was now non existant, because as much as I waved my arms around, they didn't come into contact with anything except open air.

A dirt path wound it's way between the tiny houses that looked sort of like gingerbread houses.

I realized now that booths were set up along the path and all the people were stopping and buying things at them. Apparently, this was some sort of mini-market.

When I looked at the people closer, I saw that they _seemed_ normal height. Well, most of them did.

Some of the people didn't seem quite so human-looking.

I shivered and then laughed at myself.

This was my own Oz - nothing could hurt me here.

Then I heard the voice coming from the cottage behind me.

"Ah, my sweet," it said. I spun around to see the ugliest creature I'd ever seen - and it certainly wasn't the slightest bit human. It was hideous and -

"I see you are not from here. Come closer, I am not as bad as I look," it said. It's voice was so sweet, so soft, it was hard to believe that anything that sounded so pretty could look so ugly - but no, it wasn't ugly! What was I thinking? It actually was pretty good-looking.

I walked foward.

"You are lost? I can help you. Come here. I have something that will help you get back to New York!"

I all but skipped toward the angelic figure in the window. Of course I believed it. It was impossible not to.

I found my self thinking of my nice warm bed...

I was awfully tired...

And I'd be able to email Gabby...

Go online...

Call my housekeeper, Myra... she would probably be angry that I got lost.

Tell everyone about this weird dream...

Of course this creature could help me wake up!

I found myself a foot away from the window when I heard a cough behind me.

It was just a normal cough, but it knocked me out of a stupor I didn't know I was in.

I saw how ugly, menacing, hating, and relatively evil the creature behind the bars looked.

Probably it being held prisoner for a reason. There was no way this would be able to get me home... was there?

How had he known I was from New York?

I felt suspicious.

Now the creature was glaring past me.

It turned around and went further into the cottage.

Then I remembered the cough and turned around to see who my savior was.

I felt like crying. If this was _my_ Oz, couldn't _I_ make the creatures what _I _wanted them to be? Why couldn't I have them all be human?

The creature I was facing looked like it was two-thousand years old. It was short and wrinkled and ugly.

Maybe it was an ancient munchkin.

At any rate, it was staring at me, "!scidn szonck gondsadanN"

What the _heck_ did _that_ mean?

"Huh?" I asked, bewildered.

"?sjid ghimaor gnogE" it asksed - At least, I think it was asking.

It almost seemed like I could catch a - shadow - almost - of what it was trying to say, but I couldn't quite make out the words.

"What do you-? I mean-" I stuttered.

The ancient-munchkin nodded knowledgably.

"You are lucky I speak your language good," it said.

"Um... okay," I answered, "What are you anyway?"

The things' eyebrows shot up - almost like it was _amused_.

"!hsnoB - I a' knome o'course!"

A _knome_? As in, like, a _garden knome_?!?

"Uh... am I dead?" I asked the knome, (If it was a knome,) "You're not an ancient munchkin?"

The knome laughed. _Laughed_! Can you believe it? How _rude_!

"You a' moss certainly_ not_ dead, fair maiden." it laughed, "...and I don't ezactly know what a ancient munchkin is, but I aint one o' them!" It was doubled over with laughter.

Well, at least I wasn't dead - that meant I was in Oz.

"So I'm in Oz, then? Well - my own Oz?" I asked.

"Oz? This aint a Oz!"

"What country then?" I challenged.

Of course this was my own Oz... what _else_ could it be?

"Kyrria o'course..." A look of concern passed over his face.

If it was possible for creatures in your own personal Oz to think you were crazy, then I was pretty sure this knome thought that I was crazy.

His eyes widened, he turned a little, and he bowed.

I looked up.

All of the people/creatures had stopped whatever they were doing and were_ bowing or curtsying_.

Maybe I _was_ losing my sanity.

Even the munchkins didn't bow for the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz - did they?

Walking up the pathway was a _very_ cute guy, probably around seventeen old, walking with a girl around fifteen. The boy was bowing back constantly and the girl was nodding her head. She reminded me of a bobble-head.

I didn't want to go against the rules or something, so I decided that I'd better bow too.

The knome gave me a funny look.

I wondered what Kyrria was. I'd taken geography class last year, and I had never heard of a Kyrria before. Maybe the knome had misunderstood and given me the name of this village.

When the cute guy that inspired the bowing was a distance down the road, the knome finally got up, and so I did too.

He asked me, "Why you no' curtsy?"

Curtsy? Who knew how to curtsy? (Besides the freaks that were curtsying here.)

I only shrugged.

"What- (I debated: city, town or village?)_ village_ am I in?" I asked. The knome's suspicious look diminished and he laughed again.

"Don't you know nothing? You in Frell."


	3. Mandy

"Frell? That's a weird name," I said, "I've never heard of Kyrria _or_ Frell."

The knome gave me another funny look.

"!asing hoshi sidgniD" he exclaimed, "!dingl knostit gradgi frellE"

It almost seemed like he said something like, "You're making fun of me! Nobody doesn't know _Frell_!"

Of course, I was far from certain. That's just what it seemed like - with his tone and everything.

He turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" I called after him. I was still bursting with questions. Was it at _all_ possible that maybe I _wasn't_ dreaming, and this _was_ real? No, of course not.

I shook my head to clear it.

The knome stopped but didn't turn.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

This time he turned partway towards me and there was no mistaking the anger on his face.

"!hisdgn fdjisog sdignG - I sick a' dis attitude toward knomes! I save your_ life_ and you go in make fun a me eneeway!!! Din' no bidy tell you that knomes doe-in make good enimies? Don' know Kyrria... [He shook his head.] Do I look like a dimwit? Wa' you name eneeway?"

"Sassandra - or just Sasha, which I definatly prefer. And I promise that I'm not making fun of you."

"Wha' kinda name iz Sasha? Doein you know wehna stop playin? You-" but then he abruptly stopped talking.

His eyes slid out of focus.

I felt panicky again. As much as I didn't like him, I didn't want him _die_! He looked like he was having a seizure or something!

"I- I promise I'm not lying and- " I started. Hopefully he didn't notice how hysterical I sounded. This was just too weird. I wanted to _wake up_ already!

To my utter and instantaneous relief, the knome's eyes slid back into focus.

I exhaled.

The knome was staring at me strangely.

"You - you aw not from here aw you?" he was speaking so quietly, I could barely hear him.

"NO! I'm not! What - you think I'm crazy, don't you? Don't you? Well, I do too! I thought I was dead or dreaming or in my own personal Oz but that doesn't seem like it's the case - there aren't any munchkins here and no good witches to tell me to tap my heels together or anything and this isn't New York City and I don't know what's happening and I'm scared and I'm exhausted and this could be due to sleep deprivation but I don't thinks so and I'm just really freaking out here and you're not human and that thing back there isn't and I don't know what you are or it is and everything is different and I think I belong in a mental institute and I really don't know what's going on and I haven't found any red slippers and I just want to go_ home_! I mean, this is so not cool!"

Okay - yes, I was definitly going insane. I was hysterical too, to top it all off. None of this made any _sense_. It was way to real to be a dream, my own Oz. But it _couldn't_ be real - could it?

The knome was staring at me with eyebrows raised and his jaw dropped.

"!wodhgsad teihg gihgG - You talk very different."

"What? Now you're attacking the way I talk, which is totally normal and you think _that's_ wrong with me too? I - " I started. I was definitly having hysteria and I felt the tears coming.

"Never mind - you - you're gonna getta leave, but-" he said hastily.

"_What_? I'm going home? How? _When_? What do you mean? But what? And how do you know that?"

He looked at me as if I was missing something very obvious.

"They really don't teach you that in that place you're from?"

"Teach me _what_?!?

"You mea' you really doein no that knomes see fee-your-ture?"

"Really? You can?!? That's - that's-" Impossible. Further proof that I should be locked up in an insane assylum.

"Can you tell me then - how I can get home?"

"No. I only see bits and-" he stopped because another knome came running torward him.

"!hidgn sdigh fisdgn sdofhj fdsjisotn sdifohJ ?dsidgh dstidfljgi ghojhgiI !digs fmigin ginsiighngi ainingiE" she said angrily.

"!sidgigG !aghidgngi dgsgjgisnM (He turned torward me.) Dis is my wife, sidgigG, my cousin's child was missin' and the _prince_ found 'im. I mus' bid you a Faw-well." He left me standing there and rushed off to follow his wife.

I was stricken. Was he coming back? I needed to know how to get back to a normal frame of mind.

Was it _possible_ that he could _really_ see the future? It seemed unlikely, but this morning it also seemed unlikely that I would lose my mind tonight. It also had seemed unlikely that I would get _lost_.

I didn't know what to do or where to go.

If that knome really could see the future, that meant that I would get home. I had no idea if I was going to go home in a minute, an hour, a day, a month, or a year - (my throat tightened and a tear almost escaped with the thought of remaining crazy for so long) and so I might need a place to sleep.

Never, never, _never_, have I _ever_ asked a stranger for a place to say - it made me feel... _homeless_.

I shuddered with the realization that I _was_ homeless. At least here, for now. I also didn't have any money or anything.

But I was getting desperate.

At least it wasn't winter _here_.

Maybe Frell was somewhere in the south.

I started looking at the people nearest to me.

I would have to ask someone for directions to the nearest hotel. Even Frell must have hotels, right? I read a book once (Ugh, not willingly, I hate to read-) about an immagrint to the U.S. - she didn't have any money and got a job and worked for her pay... maybe I could do that.

I grimaced.

I'd never been expected to do the slightest bit of chores, and I had no clue what to do.

Nobody would hire _me_.

And I wouldn't want to work anyway.

I hate working.

Life was _so_ unfair.

I wanted to go _home_.

"Hey!" I called after a woman who looked friendly enough. She had frizzy gray hair and a double chin. I guess I chose to ask her because she reminded me of Myra, my housekeeper.

She only looked at me and hurried on her way.

She carried carrots in one hand and some wierd-looking plant in the other.

"Please!?!" I called. Hopefully she didn't hear the hysterical edge to my desperate cry.

She turned around.

"Yes M'lady?" she asked, eyeing my clothes suspiciously.

I noticed that I was the only girl that wasn't wearing a _dress_.

So far, this place was not giving me a good first impression: old-fashioned, discreet, hostile, poverty-stricken, and harboring non-human creatures out of myths. Well, alright, New York City was a lot of those things too, but at least it wasn't old-fashioned and harboring non-human creatures out of myths.

"Um, my name's Sasha," I told her.

"My apologies, miss. I'm Mandy. What is it you wanted?"

"Well, Mandy, I- um, I'm kinda lost and I need a place to stay- sorry, but I was wondering if you-" but she didn't let me finish asking for a hotel.

"I see. Can you cook?" she interrupted.

"Sure! I got straight A's in Home Ec.! Especialy in the cooking part!"

Mandy blinked pointedly.

"And what _exactly_ are Home Ec. and Straight A's?"

"School stuff."

Mandy looked at me like I was crazy. I was starting to get sick of people looking at me like that.

They had school here, right?

"_What_ are you wearing?"

"A sweater, T-shirt, jeans, boots, earrings - "

"Never mind, come along then. We'll see what we can do to help. Lady should be home by now."

She turned and started walking quickly again. Apparently, I was supposed to follow - right?

Whilst following Mandy, I coudn't help but wonder... _Who is Lady_?


	4. Lady

I sighed.

A week ago I'd been led led to this _very_ old-fashioned house. (I was getting _really_ sick of old-fashion by this point.)

It was completely buzzing with people. Mandy was a cook for them all. I guess that made her _sort of_ like Myra, my housekeeper.

I had also been introduced to tons of _servants_! SERVANTS! _Actual servants_! Nobody had had actual servants for like, thousands of years!

The real puzzler was why the owner of this place would spend all the money to hire servants when his house obviously was in more desperate need of renovation. The whole style was so old-fashioned it made me want to cry. If not for the servants, I would think that very, very poor people lived here.

Mandy had shown me where to sleep. howed me where I could sleep. It was in the _servant's quarters_. As in, like, the place where servants slept!

I guess I could be called a servant.

I helped Mandy with the cooking and she gave me place to stay, food to eat, and some money at the end of the week.

Mandy had shown me how to sweep, dust and mop. I did that when I wasn't cooking.

I could _not_ believe that I'd been reduced to _cooking and_ _cleaning for people_. At least nobody would know about this after I got home. I was desperate though.

It was, at least, a _little_ bit better than dying.

I breathed in deeply. Whatever I was making smelled delicious. That was a surprise, because the ingrediants Mandy had said to mix (I thought) would _not_ end up tasting too good.

I'd already spent every night crying about my reduction - I didn't need to dwell on it during the day, too.

I thought about the conversation I'd overheard Mandy and 'Lady' having the other night.

I didn't actually know 'Lady''s real name because 'Lady' is what all the servants called her. She was the girl that had been walking with the prince - that's why we all had bowed. This place had _princes_.

Anyway, the servants and Mandy all think 'Lady''s father, the owner of this all, isn't worth a rat's fart (Well, no one actually _told_ me that, but I got the message.) and that 'Lady' is priceless.

'Lady' had been in the kitchen with Mandy two nights ago when I'd had a bout of serious hunger pains. I'd meant to sneak into the kitchen and get something to eat, but I heard Mandy and Lady talking in whispers.

I hadn't been able to determine everything they said, only that they'd been talking about _curses_ and _fairies_. They hadn't even sounded like they were joking or telling stories or anything! I think they were _serious_!

Was it possibly possible that there were _magic_ and _fairies_ here?

Right now, I wasn't sure what to believe. Because dreams never lasted this long. And there had been no good witch telling me to follow any road yet. I'd been forced to believe - against every logical explination - that this was somehow _real_ and I was somehow _here_.

I heard footsteps and looked up.

It was 'Lady'. She and I had never been alone before, and she'd never talked to me.

"Hello..." she started.

"Hi," I answered.

She looked surprised.

"What's up?" I asked.

She looked even more surprised and then she surprised me by glanced at the ceiling.

Had she really never heard the most common expression ever?

"Um, it's only an expression," I explained.

"Oh," she said, "what does it mean?"

"Well it means, like, what's come up? what's going on? What's new? What's-"

"Oh, I see," she said. She looked at the floor and blushed.

Then she snapped her head up and interrogated me quickly, "Forgive me for asking, but where did you come from?"

I sighed.

I hated how old-fashioned everyone talked! Since when was it rude to ask questions?

"Uh... America."

"Where's that?"

"You really don't know America?"

"No. I've never heard of it before."

Everyone knew about America. Even in the most desolate part of the planet, they knew America.

"_Get out_. That's impossible. Everyone's heard of-" I stopped talking because Lady's eyes slid out of focus and she was gasping. She looked like she was going to pass out, or she was trying to resist something...?

I jumped toward her, not sure what to do. I was about to call for Mandy, to see if she knew what was wrong-

"Do I have to?" she asked in one quick, gasping breath.

"Have to _what_?"

"Get out!" she whimpered.

It almost seemed like her foot dragged her leg toward the door.

"No, of course not! That's just an expression too!"

Her eyes, breathing, and voice instantly went back to normal.

"Ah. Well. Please - don't use that expression. I - it offends me. I-I don't really like it. Sorry. I - er - have to go help Mandy with..." she continued to mumble, but I couldn't make out the words anymore.

She walked out of the room.

I returned to my stirring.

That had to have been the weirdest thing I'd seen yet.


	5. Ella's obediance and Hattie's discovery

Ella's (that's 'Lady''s real name) and my luggage (Ella's with some of hers packed for me) were being loaded on top of a coach. Mandy stood a distance away.

I sighed.

Ella's father, Sir Peter, looked at me with disgust.

I didn't say anything or give him the finger, or anything, because he was the one paying for me to go to this finishing school.

Mandy was the one who had come up with this brilliant idea in the first place. She'd some how convinced him to pay for me to go - I have no idea how she managed that one.

Ella and I were going along with Hattie and Olive, the daughters Dame Olga, an unpleasant, wanna-be-pretty woman that took make-up to the extreme in a non-positive manner.

All three of them don't make their dislike for me a secret. The one called Hattie sneered at me. They all wore non-flattering too-tight gaudy dresses. Hattie and Dame Olga had thick, abundant blonde hair, but Olive's hair was thin and wispy.

"How few things you have," Hattie told us.

Her mother agreed, "Ella and her friend are not outfitted in accordance with their stations, Sir Peter. My girls have eight trunks between them."

'...outfitted in accordance with their stations'??? I had _no idea_ what that meant.

"Hattie has five and a half trunks, Mother. And I have only - less. I have less, and it's not fair," Olive said. She must not have been the brightest bulb on Christmas tree, if you get my drift.

Ella's dad interrupted, "It's most kind of you to take Ella and Sasha with you, Dame Olga. I only hope they will not be a bother."

What a jerk! And he was totally inexperienced and obvious in his attempt to flirt.

"Oh, they won't bother me, Sir P. I'm not going... With a coachman and two footmen, they will be safe from everything except ogres. And from ogres I could offer little protection. Besides, they'll have more fun without their old mother."

Probably, they would.

I watched Sir Peter and he said, "Not old. Never old, madam." He almost seemed _pained_ when he said that_._

_Why_ on _Earth_ was he trying to flirt? It made no sense. Unless he was after her money. Actually, that seemed pretty probable.

Then he turned to Ella, "I wish you a comfortable journey, child." He kissed her, "I'll miss you." He was totally lying. The kiss had seemed tense and was quick and unaffectionate.

_What a jerk!_ I thought again.

I climbed into the coach after Hattie. It was stuffy, but still nice.

After Ella got in she put her purse in a corner and the coach started to move. I wondered how long it would take to get to Jenn, which was where the school was. It would have been a heck of a lot faster to take an airplane or something, but if I'd have mentioned that I probably would've got the same confused look as when I asked why we wouldn't just take a car there.

"I would never embrace a cook." Hattie shuddered.

"No," was Ella's answer, "What cook would let you?" I stifled a laugh.

What a good comeback.

Hattie glared at us, and then changed the subject, "With so few belongings, the other girls will hardly know whether you are servants or of our class." she looked at me when she said that, as if she knew the work I'd done in the last few weeks. I opened my mouth to tell her off but Olive cut in first, "Why does your gown pucker in front?" She was speaking to Ella.

"Is that a necklace? Why wear it under your clothes?" Hattie asked her.

"Is it ugly?" Olive asked, "Is that why you hide it?"

"It's not ugly," Ella answered.

"Show it to us. Ollie and I so want to see it," Hattie said. Ella brought it out.

"Ooooh," Olive said, "It's even nicer than Mama's best chain."

"No one would think _you're_ a servant with that. It's very fine. Although it's much too long for you. Olive, see how milky the pearls are!" She reached out and _petted_ it. She was _so_ weird!

It _was_ beautiful though.

"Let go!" Ella moved out of their reach.

"We wouldn't hurt it. May I try it on? Mother lets me try on her necklaces and I never hurt them."

"No you you can't."

"Oh, let me. There's a dear."

"Do I have to?" Ella squeaked out.

She'd said the same thing to me before, after I'd said, "Get out," right? Why would she ask that? Nobody was forcing her to do anything.

I remembered the way she had breathed before - like she was about to get sick or pass out.

_Was _something forcing her to obey?

But no, that was impossible.

"Yes, you have to. Give it over," Hattie said.

"Just for a minute," was Ella's answer.

"Fasten it around my neck..." Hattie started but after Ella did so she finished, "...Olive."

_Did _Ella _have_ to obey?

"Thank you my dear. I was born to wear jewels like this," Hattie sighed happily.

"Let me try it, Ella," Olive said.

Hattie answered for her, "When you're older,"

"Let her have her turn," Ella growled.

Oh. I didn't even notice - Olive told Ella that she_ had_ to let her try it. Ella - _did_ she have to?

"See," Olive said, "Ella says I can."

"I know what's best for you, Olive. All of you are too young-"

But then Ella lunged at Hattie and took the necklace off her.

That settled every doubt in my mind. Obviously, some unseen force made Ella obey every command someone gave her. I wondered what the rules were - how that worked - and - most of all - how that was possible.

"Don't give it to her, Ella. Return it to me," Hattie said. She was watching Ella closely. Was she figuring out what I was sure I just figured out? Or did everyone from Frell have to obey commands?

Ella returned the necklace to Hattie.

"Give it to me Ella," Olive said, her voice rising, "Don't be so mean Hattie."

Ella snatched the necklace back and gave it to Olive.

I looked over at Hattie who looked as if she had just discovered a gold mine. She _must_ have come to the same conclusion as me. My stomach twisted as I thought of all the horror Hattie could inflict on Ella.

"Mother wore that necklace to her wedding," Ella said, "And her mother..."

"Are you always so obedient, Ella? Return the necklace to me." Hattie ordered.

"I won't let her," Olive said.

"Yes you will, or I"ll see that you get no dinner tonight."

"Ella don't do anything you don't want to do," I told her.

She didn't touch the necklace.

Hattie glared at me and tried again.

"Ella, you should give it to me. It would be a token of our friendship."

"We're not friends," Ella answered.

"Yes we are. I'm devoted to you. Olive likes you too, don't you, Ollie?" Olive nodded seriously.

"I believe you will give it to me if I say you must. Do so, Ella, for friendship's sake. You must."

"Don't Ella!" I said. She didn't move.

I turned to Hattie and Olive. I wanted to see if everyone had to obey.

"Shut up Hattie!" I snorted.

Hattie raised one eyebrow.

She was far from giving up.

"Ella, give it to me."

"Don't!"

"Give it!"

"Don't!" Hattie glared at me some more. I was _far_ from scared. Confused? Yes. But scared? Far from it!

I willed Hattie to give it up with all my might. I yearned for it. I even pictured her...

To my utter surprise, Hattie's face went blank and she changed the subject.

"The servants were careless when they cleaned the coach. That dust ball is a disgrace. We shouldn't have to ride in such filth. Pick it up, Ella."

Before I could stop her, Ella grabbed the dust ball and shoved in Hattie's face. She smeared it around, but Hattie didn't do anything - she only smiled.

There was something - ominous - in her smile.

She was really going to be a nightmare for Ella.


	6. Ella's Magic Book and Hattie's Hate

In a few minutes Hattie was sound asleep. I closed my eyes. I felt the gentle moving of the carriage beneath me. It was very rhythimic. I soon felt myself falling into a deep sleep as well.

* * *

When I woke up, Ella was reading and Hattie and Olive were both asleep. I moved to the spot right next to Ella.

"What are you reading?" I whispered.

Ella looked up, startled. She hadn't seen me move.

"Oh, this." she handed me the book. It was opened to a story entitled, the Shoemaker and the Elves. I put my thumb on the page and flipped through it.

To my astonishment, I saw a picture of my condo.

The condo I lived in in New York City.

The picture was of our kitchen.

I gasped, and Ella looked over.

Myra, our housekeeper, was making something. My parents were sitting at the table watching her. _My parents!_ What were they doing there? They looked bored.

How was that possible? Was there really _magic_ here? A magic book? Myra and my kitchen looked just like I left it - so the picture couldn't have been taken that long ago.

"Where is that?" Ella asked.

I told her, "My condo! In New York!"

She looked at me, confused. I gave an exasperated sigh.

"It's where I'm from. That's where I live. That's our housekeeper, Myra, and those are my parents. Carmen and Todd. How is this possible!?! Does this show past or present or-"

"Present."

"Oh. They don't look like they even care that I'm gone. They don't even know where I am and they don't care! I knew if I disappeared it wouldn't matter! This is proof! I knew it!"

I was close to tears, and Ella watched me solemnly.

"My Father doesn't care about me either. Mother did, before she died." I looked up. She looked close to tears as well.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being a big baby, I should have gotten over it years ago."

"It's... alright. At least I had one caring parent for a while." A solitary tear trickled down from the corner of her eye. It traced her cheek and dripped off her chin. I felt like bursting out in tears, but I didn't. I turned the page in Ella's book and to my amazement, I saw an article in the New York Times. It was small, but it was about me. Underneath my school photo from this year was this:

* * *

**_MISSING!:_**

**_name: Sassandra Adams_**

_Age: 16_

_Height: 5' 6"_

_Eyes: Brown_

_Hair: Brown, shoulder length_

**_Parents offering $500 reward for any information concerning the whereabouts of their daughter. _**

* * *

I gasped and Ella did as well. When she was done reading it she asked me, "What is that?" she pointed at the dollar amount. I felt even worse than I did before.

"It's an amount of money. They really _don't_care about me. $500 coming from them is like a dollar to someone else, but I imagine they only offered that much so they wouldn't look bad."

"Your book must be fascinating. Let me see it," Hattie told Ella. She handed it over, and Hattie looked surprised. Shoot. Her eyes practically jumped out of her head.

"You enjoy this? 'The life Cycle of the Centaur Tick'?" She turned some pages, "'Gnomish Silver Mining in Hazardous Terrain'?"

"Isn't it interesting?" Ella asked in reply. I nodded in agreement.

"You can read for a while. If we're going to be friends, we should have the same interests." Ella continued.

"You can share my interests dears," answered Hattie's.

When we got to the hotel, I went right to bed. The place depressed me. It was dreary and poor-looking and so old-fashioned that I almost threw up. I couldn't stand to look at it for long. I spent most of the night wishing with all my might that I could go home, but when I woke up, I was still in the gross old bed.

At breakfast, Hattie claimed Ella's breakfast was unedible. I told her to shut up, and I told Ella to eat it if she wanted.

I could tell Hattie hated me for getting in the way of putting her knew discovery to effect, and I could tell that she planned on taking revenge on me. She spent the majority of her time glaring at me.

Funny, had I not known or liked Ella, and had I been at school in New York City, I probably would have been the one using this against Ella.


	7. Sewing in Finishing School

The rest of the way to Jenn was boring. Our only scenery was farms.

It was so hot that Hattie only had one command:

"Fan me Ella."

I cut in,"Fan yourself. Don't if you don't want to Ella."

"Fan me too," Olive said at the same time.

"Don't," I answered, fanning myself with my hand.

_Honestly_. Did Hattie and Olive have no conciences or something? How could they be so mean?

I didn't get it. I -

"OGRES!" The coachman suddenly shouted.

The coach sped up to an almost impossible speed. At least, and impossible speed for a carriage. I was afraid we'd tip over.

Wait... ogres! Mandy had said that that - thing - I'd seen in the cottage when I'd first arrived here had been an ogre! Now there were ogres here _too_? What a terrible place this world was! How could any of these people stand living here in danger of those hideous, cruel creatures. Didn't living in constant fear have _some_ sort of wear on them?

My heart pounded. I remembered how close to dying I'd been the last time I'd encountered an ogre.

"Why do you run from your friends?" asked the sweetest voice I'd ever heard, "We bear gifts of your hearts' desires. Riches, love, eternal life..." My heart's desire... home! Why were we running when I could get home? Air conditioning, faster methods of transportation, freedom from Hattie, from this world, from the ogres...

"Slow down," Hattie dreamily ordered the driver.

She really didn't need to, the coach had already started to slow.

The sheep were making a lot of noise. A lot. So much that I could only concentrate on that.

Wait! There were ogres after us! Why were we going so slow? Why weren't we running for our lives?

"Yell so you can't hear them!" Ella shouted. The coachman and I started to yell along with her. Then Hattie started shrieking:

"EAT ME LAST!! EAT ME LAST!!"

Olive screamed. And screamed. And screamed. And never took a breath. The scream rang unbroken until it was starting to scare me. How was she doing that? It was freaky. Her face was turning red. Then it started to get annoying. Alright, really annoying.

I was relieved when the coachman came in and slapped her.

At least he apologized. After all, hitting women was illegal.

* * *

The "finishing school" wasn't what I was expected. I guess I sort of expected it to be like those old one-roomed schoolhouses from forever-ago. But this place didn't look like it could possibly be a school. It looked like a very, very tiny house. The only difference from it and it's neighbors was that the bushes were trimmed to look like girls wearing dresses.

I found that slightly creepy.

Upon our approach, a strict, uptight-looking woman met us. She looked to be in her early fifties.

"Welcome, young ladies," she told us with a curtsy. I swore in my head. No doubt, I'd be expected to curtsy back. Ella, Hattie, and Olive did. But I'd never done one before. I was sure to make a fool of myself. At least Ella seemed a bit unsteady, I wouldn't be the only one messing up.

So I attempted the manuever and to my astonishment, I think I did it great.

"But who are these other young ladies?" the woman asked, waving her hand over me and Ella.

It was Ella who answered, "I am Ella, madam. My father is Sir Peter of Frell. And this is Sasha of Frell. She is a comarade of mine and my Father is paying for her stay. He wrote a letter." Ella announced. She got an envelope and a small bag from her purse and handed it to the woman.

It was Mandy that had put the money in the bag and changed Ella's dad's letter. He'd never pay for me to come here. He was a cheapscate. Of course, I'd never pay for me to come here either. There was nothing here to come to.

"What a lovely surprise," The lady said after weighing the bag in her hand, "I am Madame Edith, headmistress of your new home. Welcome to our humble establishment."

She curtsied again. We copied her. It was extremely irritating.

She led us into a large sunny room.

"Young ladies," she announced, "Here are four new friends for you." A roomfull of girls got up, curtsied, and sat back down. Every one of them wore a pink dress with a yellow ribbon in their hair. It was very cheesy. And the constant curtsying was starting to get on my nerves.

"Back to work, ladies," Madame Edith said, "Sewing Mistress will help the new pupils."

It was so weird to hear the word "pupils" used in normal conversation.

I sat in an empty chair and looked around. Ella was seated on the other side of the room. The room was full of strangers, most of them exhibiting hostile faces. Or maybe it was my imagination. At any rate, none of them looked overly friendly.

The woman called "Sewing Mistress" approached me with a needle, colored thread, and white material with flowers on it. In Home Ec. I had sewed on patterns like this, but I had used a sewing machine. They couldn't honestly expect me to sew by hand. I didn't know how. Plus, it would take forever.

Sewing Mistress gave me the piece of material and then told me that I was to go to go over the pattern. She turned away.

"Um, wait," I protested. She glared at me impatiently.

"I don't actually know how to sew by hand," I admitted. Even though I knew that it was unreasonable for anyone to expect anyone to sew by hand, even here, I felt a little embarassed. I felt more than a little embarrassed when she raised her eyebrows at me in astonishment I felt totally stupid when she grabbed my matierial and showed me a few stitches stowly and articulately before un-threading the needle, giving it back, and leaving me. Just like that. Like I was supposed to learn by watching it twice.

I threaded my needle with light pink thread. I knew how to do that, at least.

I stared at the pattern Sewing Mistress had given me. It had a certain charm. Actually, it could be pretty. It was of a rose.

I tore out the stitches that Sewing Mistress had sewn. I didn't want my rose that color.

I watched the girl next to me. Her thread was moving in and out, over and under the material. It almost had a rhythm. I could do that.

So I tried it. I plunged my needle into the thread and lost myself in daydreams. This flower could be beautiful. It could have light pink, almost white, where the light hit the most. It could have darker and darker thread, moving through pinks until it was almost red when it disappeard into more folds of it. It could have deep green leaves and it could look so _lifelike_! So real! I could see it! I could see the colors flood into place. I painted it with my eyes. It was-

"Three stitches in all this time?" I heard Sewing Mistress say from across the room. She was talking to Ella, "Three vast, messy stitches! Like three teeth in a toothless gum. Go to your room and stay there until it is time for bed! No supper for you tonight." Ella glowered at her.

"I'm not hungry," she retorted defiantly.

"Then you may do without breakfast too, for your impertinence," was Sewing Mistresses reply. Ella got up and left the room.

I was speechless. What if Ella starved to death? What if -

I heard a gasp over my shoulder and spun around.

"I thought you said you couldn't sew?" the Sewing Mistress asked me astonishment written all over her face.

"Well, I've never sewed by hand before actually, but..." I was interrupted by Sewing Mistress, "This is exquisite! It is- it looks real! Oh, how divine!" Her voice took on a gloating edge, "Oh my, in all my years, I've never seen a piece as amazing as this! I couldn't even do better!"

The whole room looked up from their work. Sewing Mistress was being annoyingly loud in her unwanted praise. Well, maybe it wasn't totaly unwanted. Part of me loved it, but the other part noticed my fellow "pupil"'s glares.

I looked at the work in my hands. It was just as I'd imagined it! Who would have known what one could do when they weren't paying attention?


	8. Daisies and Beautricia

Supper was in a huge room with tons of kitchen tables and chairs. It was definatly different than my old school's cafeteria.

I never moved to talk to someone, so no one moved to talk to me. It was pretty lonely.

* * *

After supper, a maid led me to a corridor with labels on the colorful doors. The labels gave the name of the room, for example, we passed the Lavender Room and the Opal Room. The The Lime Room was across the hall, and we stopped by the Daisy Room. I wondered which one Ella was in.

The maid opened the room and I received a _huge_ shock. Let's just say that they didn't call it the Daisy Room for no reason. The wall was _covered_ in daisies. Pressed Daisies. A carpet with a Daisy pattern of a giant, single daisy sat between the beds on the hard wood floors. There were five _canopy_ beds.

At Ella's house I had slept in my own back room, but here I had to _share_ a bedroom? And with four other people!

In a corner there was a decorative pot- but guess what? It had daisies covering the outside of it.

There was a dresser for each person. They were the creamy color of daisies' petals.

There were two windows. A chair that looked like a big daisy stood folornly in front of one of the windows. There were curtains- with what looked like strands of daisies falling from the ceiling.

I hate daisies.

I sat in the chair. The view was actually quite pretty. It was of a garden.

Another girl around my age came into the room.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," I repeated.

"So... I saw what you sewed," she stopped, and looked at me weirdly.

"Yeah... so?" I asked.

"So, you had better know that_ I_ am the best at sewing in this school and we wouldn't want that to change..." she looked at me in disgust and finished in a whisper, "Now would we?" I didn't say anything... but just who did she think she was?

She walked over to a bed and said, "Now this is my bed and you are not to touch it, or get anywhere near it. And you are to keep your grimy hands off of my _very_ expensive gowns." She looked me over, "Well, you are not to be jealous of me either. Is that the only gown you have?"

"Uh, no. And I must have missed it- what did you say your name was?"

"My name is Beautricia. It fits, doesn't it?" She twirled a bit so that the bottom of the skirt swirled prettily.

"Actually, I was just thinking of how odd it is- how can someone with the name Beautricia be so... the opposite of having beauty..." I said mockingly, even though it was mean. She snorted.

"No need to ask you yours. Looking at you, it's obvious that it's something stupid, like a maid's name or something else that befits you." I only laughed.

"Wrong. My name is Sassandra Adams, whilst your name isn't a name at all. It sounds like something someone made up to make up for a lack in natural beauty." She scowled at me too.

"My parents named me Beautricia because I was the most beautiful baby they ever saw."

"Oh, you mean that's what they told you. Probably didn't want you to feel bad," and because of the look on her face, I added, "Sorry to break it to you! I thought you knew!"

She looked livid.

Good thing I've had practice at my old school telling people off, because I was at an advantage here. She must have never even argued before; she acted very unexperienced. Ok, maybe I was being a little harsh, but hey, she started it!

"What kind of name is Sassandra anyway? It sounds like something you would name a _centaur, _andwe both know that you don't really surpass them when it comes to intelligence..."

There were _centaurs_ here? Cool! But what did she mean by that? Centaurs were supposed to be really intelligent right? Maybe she'd gotten her facts mixed up.

Before I could say anything else, more girls had come into the room. Beautricia turned her back on me.


	9. Classes and Hate

Before I had even gotten dressed in a uniformal gown the next morning, Beautricia had turned the other three Daisy Room occupants against me. Everyone gave me the cold shoulder.

I ate breakfast wishing Ella was here, but she would be for lunch. I sat alone, again. After a bit though, the girl that had been sitting next to Ella in sewing sat next to me.

"Hello... you came in with Ella?" she asked. It sounded like she said, "Heyyo... you caimp in with Eyya?"

"Yes..." was all I said.

"So... you know her?"

"Yup..."

"Alright."

We ate silently.

"Well... what room do you sleep in?" she tried again.

"The Daisy Room. And Beautricia has turned them all against me... because of Sewing Class yesterday." She looked happy that I had finally opened a chance for conversation.

"They're just jealous... well, Beautricia is. She used to be the best at sewing. The others probably just don't want to get made fun of or rejected or anything. I know what it is to be tormented... see, I'm not wealthy, and I'm from Ayortha, so I get made fun of all the time! You are better off. If you'd lie low, you'd fit right in."

I laughed.

"Yeah? It's not like I'm around here or anything."

"But you're from Frell, right?"

"No."

"But Ella said that you're Sasha of Frell."

"Oh. Yes. Well. I'm actually from New York City, but know one seems to have heard of it, so they call me Sasha of Frell."

"I see. Sasha is a different name." She didn't mean it meanly, she seemed to just be thinking out loud.

"Well, what's yours?"

"Areida."

"Wow! That is so cool! It's like, totally mystical! I love it!"

Areida looked taken aback, but she looked happy all the same.

"Well, alright, thank you!" She said.

* * *

So at Singing Class, (At least I can sing) Music Mistress gave me a sheet of song and said that is what we were going to sing. It was a song entitled, _Ode to Spring_, by Anna Laetitia Aikin, music by Greg of Mater. I had never heard of it before.

I started to sing,

"Sweet daughter of a rough and stormy fire,

Hoar winter's blooming child; Delightful Spring!" when Music Mistress singled out Ella's voice.

"Ella does not notice that there is more than one note," she announced, "Come here child. Sing this." She played a note on the harpsichord. Ella tried, but failed to hit the note.

"Higher, or we shall send you to a different school to sing with the young gentlemen." Ella tried again. Beautricia covered her ears, for it was too high now. She tried again and was too low. Then she tried once more before hitting the note. Music Mistress played another note and Ella sang it. She sang a scale.

"Whose unshorn locks with leaves

And swelling buds are crowned," we continued, before Music Mistress singled out _my_ voice.

"Ah Sasha! Such a lovely, heavenly voice! Like an angel!"

As I felt my face burn, we continued.

* * *

Half an hour later, we had a Dancing class. My partner was a girl named Delicia, one of Hattie's friends.

She was so annoying. She complained about everything. I needed to dance faster, slower, a maid had acted above her station, the room was too drafty, supper last night was ill prepared, Beautricia wore rouge, Sewing Mistress had called her a pansy like her sewing for sewing big stitches, blah, blah, blah...

In Gym Class in my old school, I had excelled in the dancing units, and sure enough, it was only a short time until Dancing Mistress praised my dancing and put down Ella's.

* * *

I was finally put down at lunch.

"Uh! The king would be ashamed of you Sasha! Posture like that! Sit up straight! Are you a sack of potatoes or a maiden?" I sat up stick straight but as Manners Mistress moved away, the whole room giggled. I looked at my food.

* * *

In Writing Class, Writing Mistress praised me too.

It went like this:

"Now, who can tell me what this means: I see many maidens making much progress." I raised my hand and she told me to try. I thought, _Can this get any easier_? I told her, and she told that my knowlege of the Ayorthian Language was quite impressive. _HUH?_ _Ayorthian?_ She sounded as if I had just translated something- but she never stopped speaking Kyrrian! Wait! Why did I say Kyrrian? I meant English!

* * *

Everyday was the same. I dreaded the other kids hate, and the teachers' praise. But neither let up.

I

wish

I

was

home

!

* * *

**Author's Note: Please Review!**


	10. The Garden

* * *

Everyday was the same. I dreaded the other kids hate, and the teachers' praise. But neither let up.

I

wish

I

was

home

!

* * *

It must have been around midnight. I ached for home. Beautricia, Azalea, Viviana and Baily were all asleep in the other canopies. Azalea was snoring loudly. I slipped out from under my blanket. I put on my dress and even did my hair for the next day. I slipped out the door. I crept down the hall. Down the stairs. I ran behind a curtain when a maid went through the hall. Lucky for me, she didn't notice me in the dark. I restarted creeping down the hall. I went out the door. I went around to the back of the house, and into the garden.

It was so breathtakingly beautiful! Exotic flowers, all foreign, filled your soul with that overwhelming happy feeling.

I sat on the bench and tried to take it all in. It was so amazing.

I slipped off the bench and into the flowers. I lied down. I looked up. At least Kyrria had stars, even thought they were different than the ones in New York.

It was so beautiful...

So peaceful...

I felt my eyelids droop...

* * *

I woke to the bright sunlight shining in my face. I sat bolt upright. I _couldn't_ get caught.

So, I jumped up. I ran straight through the immensly beautiful garden, with the golden sun peeking over the horizon.

I stepped through the door and crept through the hallways. Luckily, no one was awake yet.

I made it to the daisy room.

Azalea woke up as I shut the door behind me.

**Author's Note: Ok, I know this chapter is super-short, but I need the rest to be another chapter. Please Review!!**


	11. Bogwood

"_What_ are you doing?" Azalea whispered. She stared at me. I felt my face burn.

"I-I-I was about to-to go to my- my breakfast!! Yeah! See, I woke up about ten minutes ago. I got dressed and went down to the breakfast but no one was there so I came back here. Yeah." That worked. Cool.

"Uh-huh. What may I ask is "breakfast"? You _don't_ mean the morning meal, do you?"

"Um, yes. The morning meal. We call it breakfast where I'm from."

"Goodness, you _are_ different. And _not_ in a good way either."

"Whatever." She scowled at me and rolled over.

* * *

I sneaked out again that night. And the next.

Every night, after everyone else was asleep, I'd creep out into the garden.

One sunset, I decided to visit the garden and study the flowers in the daylight.

Ever since I started sneaking out, I hadn't visited the garden but in the dark. Wow, did I just say that? I really am turning in to a finished woman. It's like they're brainwashing me... and succeeding. I don't have half the energy or spirit I had before I came here.

Anyway, I walked out the door. I had no reason to go in secret, so perhaps it was out of habit that my heart beat ever so loudly on the path to the garden. I saw no one about, but rather, I felt extremely vulnerable. I felt exposed, being out on a clear path in daylight.

Then I heard the voices.

"What else would stop you?" asked a voice rather urgently. It seemed oddly familiar.

"Nothing," came the answer. Hattie. My curiosity got the better of me.

As I crept forward I heard this:

"What orders do you plan to give me?" Orders... Ella!

"I don't plan."

"Why do you hate me?"

"You never admired me."

"Do you admire me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You're pretty. And brave."

How was Ella getting Hattie to admit all that? I peered through the bushes at them. Hattie held a bouquet of flowers. Her face was oddly blank and Ella was staring at her hard.

"What do you fear?" Ella asked.

"Ogres. Bandits. Drowning. Becoming ill. Climbing mountains. Mice. Dogs. Cats. Birds. Horses. Spiders. Worms. Tunnels. Poi-"

"What do you want most in the world?" Ella interrupted. Wow. Hattie was afraid of EVERYTHING!!

"To be Queen."

Her eyes started to come back into focus as Ella threw in, "What are your secrets?"

She didn't answer Ella. Rather, she just pulled on Ella's hair.

"Why am I standing here?" She asked Ella.

She looked at her flowers.

"Oh yes. What a good lady-in-waiting to bring me such a beautiful bouquet. But one scent is not sweet. Take it out."

Ella took a flower out of the bouquet and stomped on it.

I pulled out of the bush I'd been peering through and sat down on the hard earth.

I heard/saw Hattie leave first. She practicly galloped out of the garden. Ella followed, rather folornly.

I slipped around the bush and picked up the remains of the flower that Ella had thrown out.

I examined it. It was a very beautiful flower, to be sure. It was a light violet with white around the edges. There was six petals, and they fanned out and curled at the tips. I smelled it.

It smelled beautiful.

...

I felt a fuzzy feeling come over me.

...

I felt all warm inside.

...

I binked. I was standing in the garden. Why? Oh yes, I was smelling this flower. I held it up. The center of the petals was nothing but a black dot, yet it finished beautifying the flower itself.

The stem was the richest and darkest green I had ever seen. It was connected to the flower's petals by round marble-size and shape of stem. It was very pretty. I didn't smell it again though, because it smelled nausiating. I threw it down and proceeded to my little expedition.

The garden was even more beautiful during the daytime. The whole air quivered with color. Blooms of unique design bore the colors of violet, blue, white, yellow, orange, green, red, pink, magenta, and many others. I examined all the flowers. The only two I knew were daisies and roses.

They reminded me of home.

I

wish

I

was

home!!

**Author's Note: PLEASE review!!**


	12. In The Garden

I went back into the daisy room and covered my clothes with my quilt.

Viviana and Azalea were the first to come in. I pretended I was asleep.

They said nothing to me.

Baily and Beautricia came in next.

They said nothing to or about me.

They all got ready for sleep.

Madame Edith came in and checked that we were all asleep or getting ready to go to what she called, "The Shores of Sleep". She ducked back out as Azalea got into bed.

They all went to sleep almost at once.

I stuffed the pillow I had lain a second ago. I took my dresses and spread them out under my blanket in the shape of me, as I did every night.

Then I opened the door as soundlessly as possible.

I tip-toed out.

I ran into no one.

I hurried over the dark grass.

I pushed through the row of trees closest to the school.

I slipped over the hedge which laid under the trees.

I stopped.

I felt safe.

I crouched down between the bushes anyway; my heart throbbing so loudly I thought for sure that everyone up in the finishing school could hear it.

I slipped into the tall, grassy plant that I always slept in.

I stretched my arms.

My finger touched something.

It felt warm.

It felt like skin.

I gasped.

The "thing" moved.

It drew back.

I sat up.

I looked over.

In the moonlight, I could see.

It was a hand.

A human hand, nonetheless.

I gasped again.

I parted the grass.

I saw a bulky (muscular) arm.

I looked further.

I saw a torso of a man.

I saw a neck.

I saw a chin.

I saw a nose.

I saw two deep brown eyes.

I saw hair as black as midnight.

I saw a shirtless man.

He was covered in sweat.

He wore pants that were torn in the leg.

He had the stubble of a beard on his face.

He had sturdy, high cheekbones.

His skin was slightly tanned.

His hair was curly.

His hair was shaggy.

He was the hottest guy I'd ever seen.

He was breathing deeply.

His chest was hairless and muscular.

His eyes started to quiver.

Before I could move, his eyes opened.

**Author's Note: PLEASE review!!**


	13. Sir Kennsington of Grant

What was a man doing in the middle of the garden?? In the middle of an all-girl finishing school garden?

He gasped and jumped up.

"Who-what-who-how??" He sputtered.

I was so scared, I couldn't even move.

I opened my mouth.

I closed my mouth.

I opened my mouth.

I closed my mouth.

I opened my mouth again.

"I-I-I... Who-who are you?" I sputtered.

His face turned bright red.

"Er- well - alright. I'm... I'm - ah... Sir Kennsington of - of Grant." For some reason, I got the feeling he was making it up as he went along. Why?

"Oh. Well. I'm Lady Ganzala of Ohreeka."

"Where is Ohreeka?"

"In- in Ayortha."

"You don't sound Ayorthian."

"That's because I-I learned Kyrrian from a Kyrrian tutor."

"Oh. But your name isn't Ayorthian."

"It-it isn't?"

"No. Ayorthian names both start and end in a vowel."

"Oh... well yeah!! Duh!! My tutor's name was totally Ganzala. My parents loved it. They named me after her." He looked very taken aback. I have GOT to stop talking like an American and sound more Kyrrian!!

"They knew your tutor before they had you?"

"Well, yeah. She's like, an old family friend. Plus, she tutored my sister and brother before me."

Why was this guy questioning me like this? Normally, from what I've seen, here, asking questions is considered rude. And I'm pretty sure that this guy is NOT who he says he is.

"Oh. I see."

"Yes. And what exactly are you doing here, Sir Kennsington of Grant??" I asked quizzicly.

"Oh yes. Well." He sighed, "Can I trust you?"

"Yes. Can I trust you?"

"Yes. Well... Meet me here tomarrow night then. If you've not told anyone about me, I'll trust you."

"Ok, deal. And you have to not tell anyone you saw me neither. If you do, I'll get into SO much trouble and I'll starve. So if you do, I'll not be trusting you."

"Ok, deal."

So I turned around and pretended to leave. I still slipped back into the grassy plant and laid awake under the stars.

As I looked up, I thought about home. At home, there was so many lights that you couldn't see even one star.

The city was filled with busy people, hurrying people. I yearned for the hustle-bustle of the city.

So I laid like that for awhile; wishing for the city, yet enjoying the stars and peacefulness at the same time.

* * *

When I woke up, before I crept out of the garden, I looked at the "Sir Kennsington of Grant". He was sound asleep. So I went back to school.

After dancing, I sneaked outside and to the garden. The boy was gone without a trace. I went to lunch.

* * *

That night, when I sneaked out to the garden, the boy was already there.

"So, Sir Kennsington of Grant - What's up?" I asked.

"What's what's up?" he asked.

"Never mind... why did you want to meet me?"

"Oh... well, I take it you didn't tell anyone I was here?"

"No. I didn't. Did you?"

"No."

"Well, where were you today?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said, where were you today?"

"I was here."

"No you weren't. I looked."

"Well, yes I was. I was hiding."

"Oh. Well."

"So... listen. I-I'm here because... because I love the beauty of the garden."

"Uh huh." Yeah right!!

"Why were you hiding during the day then?" he turned bright red.

"Don't you think it'd be a little odd of a sight to see a man in a lady's garden?"

"Oh. Yeah, I suppose so."

* * *

So, every night, I met "Sir Kennsington of Grant".

Eventually, he came to trust me more and more.

I came to trust him.

He was sweet, funny, and charming.

One day, he told me his whole story.

His whole _real _story.

**Author's Note: PLEASE review!!**


	14. Nathaniel of Jenn

**Author's Note: PLEASE review!!**

It turns out, his name _isn't_ really Sir Kennsington of Grant.

"Well, first of all, my name isn't Sir Kennsington of Grant. It's Rupert of Jenn. I'm really dirt-poor. (sighs)

"I don't even have a house. My mother just died, so my father sold it. He's rich. I ran away. I've been living off food in the forest. I've come to two close-calls with ogres. Anyway, I've been sleeping here at night. It's - well, the most beautiful place I've seen in awhile."

"Why did you run away?"

"Oh... my Father. He was going to force me to go into the knome-caverns and spy on them. He wanted me to steal valuables whenever I could. But he didn't want me to get caught. I don't want to go all the way to Ayortha! Plus, I am NOT a criminal. I hate caves anyway. If my Father found me... I don't know." He shuddered.

"What?" I pressed.

"Well, he's not-not the most- not the nicest man in the world."

"Ok."

"Yeah. So, you haven't told me why you're here every night. Do you go to school here?"

I laughed bitterly.

"Yes."

"So why are you so bummed about it?"

I laughed sourly.

"They don't exactly encourage individuality here. You do something wrong and your starved. All the girls hate me because the one and only time I was put down instead of complimented on was on posture. It sucks."

"Forgive me for asking, but what does that mean?"

I laughed wholeheartedly.

"_Forgive you for asking_?? Are you serious??" He only looked me oddly.

"Well, I mean, come on! Is _that_ why nobody ever asks anybody anything around here? Why would asking need forgiving? It's only curiosity." I added.

He looked at me smiling, but his eyes said "Confused Guy here!!".

I laughed again.

"So, you ran away so you wouldn't become a criminal?"

He still looked half-confused. The other half of him was amused.

"Yes. And my dad- you don't know him."

"No, I can't say I do. Go on."

"Well he- he- lets just say that he has connections most people don't have."

"So? Why don't you just go to another town and get a job?"

This time it was he who laughed bitterly.

"My Father,"

"What about him?"

"Well, when someone does something he doesn't like... alright. My Father is a criminal. He's aiming to get in league with a Sir Peter of Frell, whom, he says, will be very willing to rip people off, as he's already becoming known for that."

Sir Peter of Frell... that's Ella's dad!!

"So, Father has connections. He actually knows all the ogres and crooks around here. Yet, no crook or ogre knows what Father does to get the villagers and royals on his side, and the villagers and royals don't know what he does to get the ogres and crooks on his side."

"Wait- wouldn't ogres just eat him rather than bargain with him?"

"No. That's part of an agreement they have. Father turns any crook or villager who scwabbles on him or doesn't do what he says to the ogres in exchange that the ogres do what he wants them to do to."

I shuddered.

"What does he do to get the royals on his side?"

He laughed bitterly.

"He donates some of the money he has the crooks steal for him. He's made many a respectable villager into a crook."

"Yikes. So... _why_ can't you just hide in another village?"

"No doubt Father has the whole population of any village, all the ogres, and maybe even the royals looking for me, afraid I'd leak out information."

He laughed again, this time with amusement, "which is exactly what I'm doing now..."

"But... he wouldn't turn his own son over to the ogres... would he?"

"Father? Father hates me. He loves my older brothers, who always do exactly as he says to. That's why he told me to go to Ayortha. He wants me as far from him as possible. It's always been like that. Of course, if I was found two weeks later I'd mysteriously disapear again, this time not leaving a trace... unless someone were to cut up an ogre's stomach."

"Wow... and I thought _my_ parents were bad."

"What about them? You haven't told me your story yet."

So I told him. At first he thought I was joking, and didn't believe me, but eventually he did.

"Wow. That's- interesting. But, Sasha. I love your name," he said, turning red.


	15. Escape!

**Author's Note: Rupert of Jenn is now Nathanial of Jenn... I'm really sorry, but I hate the name Rupert. And, I'm sorry, I didn't realize Hattie was in the Daisy room... so I'm moving her to the Opal Room.  
**

So, every night, I sneaked out to the garden. Nathanial was there most nights, but one night he wasn't. The garden was _so _lonely without him. I could only concentrate on how much I wanted to go home.

The next night I confronted him about it.

"Where were you last night?" I asked.

"Oh... I was in the forest... and tomarrow and the next day I won't be here."

* * *

So I came to be amazing friends with Nathanial of Jenn. I even got a HUGE crush on him... only it was more than that. I'd never felt it before, actually. If I had to give it a name, I suppose I would call it love, but I didn't know. I'd never _really_ been loved before.

I mean, our housekeeper loved me. I think. I certainly loved her. But you know, as a mother. I'd never felt this way around anyone before, and especially not a boy. It was as if I loved him, but it was more... passionate. I loved every hair on his head.

Weird, I know...

But I still ached for home...

* * *

One day, well end of night actually, when Nathanial wasn't in the garden, (I had just woke up) I heard a twig snap.

I jerked bolt upright.

I opened my eyes really wide, and even in the moonlight I could make out no one.

I crept up to the bush quietly and quickly and looked over the top. I could see a figure hurrying across the lawn. It was obviously a finishing school occupant.

I ran after her. She made her way farther into town. I got close enough to see who she was when she stopped at a baker's shop.

I got closer.

It was Ella.

Ella!

What was Ella doing here??

I walked up to her and heard her talking to the baker.

"On foot? Alone? With ogres and bandits roaming the road?" I heard him say. Ella just shrugged. Then she turned and continued to walk through Jenn.

I caught her.

"Ella!" I exclaimed quietly. She spun around.

"Oh. It's you."

"Where are you going?" I asked. She scowled.

"Why? You're not going to run and tell Madame Edith are you?"

"No way! Listen! I've been sneaking out to the garden every night and sleeping there! Do you really think I'd be the one to go on and be a tattle tale?! I'm on your side! So... where are you going?"

"Well... I'm going to a giant farm."

"A _giant_? You mean there are _giants_ here too?"

"Yes..." She continued walking, and so did I. The son was starting to come up.

"So... why are you going?"

"Oh... uh, to see my dad."

"Yeah right! Tell the truth."

"Ok... I'm going to find Lucinda."

"Lucinda... who's Lucinda?"

"Well... can I trust you?"

"Yes."

"She's a fairy."

"A fairy!?"

"Yes."

"There are actually fairies here?"

"Of course."

"Wow! That is so cool!" I found myself finding a tiny fairy with wings and everything... I'd ask her to go home. She'd wave her little wand and home I'd be!"

"Can I come with you?"

"What?"

"Can I come with you?"

"Why?" Well, a fairy would be able to bring me back home, right?"

"Oh... I'm not sure."

"Well then, do you mind if I come?"

She sighed, "Alright, but you haven't got any of your things."

"I don't have any... it's fine. Let's go!"

Ella stopped and sat under a tree.

"Why don't we wait until the sun comes up instead?" she asked.

"Uh... hel_lo_! We don't want to get caught!"

"Oh, I think Madame Edith would try to cover up our disapearances in hopes that we'll return, don't you?"

I thought about it. Ella was right. I told her so.

Then she took out some bread. She gave me some, and kept some for herself.

"I only hope we'll have enough food." Ella remarked.

"Why? How long will it take us to get there?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure, but I think maybe a few days."

"A few days!? That's crazy! And how did you pay for this bread anyway?"

She turned red.

"With money."

"No, I mean seriously."

"Oh, alright. I sold him Hattie's wig."

Hattie's wig? ...HA! I laughed and she laughed with me.

It felt good. I hadn't laughed in a long time.

**Author's Note: Please Review!!**


	16. Almost There?

"Well, maybe. Probably I suppose. Only thing is, I don't know if Lucinda is exactly the kind of fairy that helps people."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I... it's rather comlicated."

"Like, how?"

"Well, she- she sometimes- she's not," Ella said rather firmly.

"Well I'm going to try anyway."

"Fine."

"Okay. Good. I'm rather glad we had this conversation."

"What? Why?"

"Because I know that I'll have an opportunity to home, and this must be it."

"And how, may I ask, could you possibly know that?"

"A knome told me when I first got here."

Understanding flashed across Ella's face.

"I see. That would explain it."

"Yes. They really can see into the future, right?"

"Well... yes. Some may. To a certain extent of course."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, not all knomes can see into the future, and of those who can, few speak Kyrrian. Not to mention they only see flashes and what they do see doesn't always come true."

"_What_?"

"Well, unless you do something that you or anyone else never expected, then it probably will."

"_Oh no_!! Wouldn't going to finishing school fall under that category?"

"Well, I don't know. It might."

I fought back tears. I _had_ to get back to the modern world of technology.

"Well I'm going to try anyway."

"Fine. I never said you shouldn't."

"Ok, well I'm going to try!"

* * *

So we walked all day every day. I felt more alive than I had in a really long time. It felt so good not to be cooped up in that tiny building, to see the trees, the flowers, the sky, and the exotic plants. I felt like myself again, not the robotic lady of the times I'd been only days ago.

While we both rejoiced at being free from school at last, I noticed after a few days that Ella seemed to be worried about something. When I asked her, this is what she said, "Well, we ought to have reached the fork in the road by now if we're to get to the wedding on time."

"So? You mean we're not going to make it? We're not going to see the fairy after all?"

I didn't want to sound like an annoying little kid, but this was really important to me!

"Well, I don't know."

"How far did the baker say it was?"

"Well he said it'd take only a few days by carriage."

"Well so? Shouldn't we be there by now then?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm worried about."

**Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Please Review!**


	17. Remebering and Elves

I found myself thinking less and less of home.

One day, I got a serious fright. I'd forgotten what my parents looked like! I could no longer picture them as perfectly as before. I'd forgotten what Gabby looked like, and for a second, I'd even forgotten her name! I'd forgotten what our housekeeper looked like, even what a computer looked like! Well, I remembered that Gabby had had black hair, but that was all! I knew our housekeeper's hair was red. And my mom's... well, I couldn't picture my parents at all anymore. All those months of being here, seemed to have vanished my old life... as if it was another lifetime, or maybe a dream. The only faces I could picture clearly were those of Ella, Nathaniel, Areida, Slannen, Mandy, Ella's father, Hattie, Olive, and all the people I'd met here in Frell and Jenn and the forest.

But... I still had to go back. I just had to. Yet thinking back, my memory of New York seemed smudged... and I got an almost dirty feeling thinking of all those people together in one small place. I couldn't believe that I had actually _liked_ that before! But I owed to my family, to my housekeeper, to Gabby, to show up again. Plus, I remembered that I'd loved my life. I'd loved technology and people and business. If I went back I'd love it again right?

* * *

Eventually we ran across some elves. Yes, I said _elves_.

I know, I couldn't believe it either!

And yet, as always, Ella wasn't surprised.

Anyway, let me tell you a little bit about them.

**A: **There were TONS of them!

**B:** They were all green and gross looking!

**C:** They slept in little hammocks! I had my own... but I'd never slept in a hammock before.

**D:** Despite their ugliness, they were really nice!

**E:** They had really cool pottery... and the Head Elf (At least that's what he seemed like) said that some guy named Slannen made them. Actually, they were really, really good!

**F:** They were super generous! The Slannen gave us each a pottery piece! Those must have cost like, a fortune! Ella got a howling wolf. If you looked at it, and I mean really looked at it, you felt as if you were actually the howler and I mean you actually _felt_ it! You just feel why he's howling and you feel your throat howling too! Anyway, I got something too! I got this baby bird... but the bird was caught landing on a branch of a tree... If you looked at this you felt your toes touch down and you felt her pride at landing her first flight. You felt her wings tense... everything. It was the most amazing thing ever!

But that's not all the elves gave us! They lent us two ponies and a load of food.

**G:** They love Ella's magic book! They laughed and laughed at the story The Shoemaker and the Elves.

**H:** They only eat and drink soup! It was kind of annoying actually, but it was ok.

So next day we set out again for the wedding, only at a much faster pace.

I was ashamed of it, but I couldn't help the tiny part of my mind that was hoping we'd miss it.

* * *

AN: Please, please review!


	18. Intruders In the Night

So Ella and I lied down to sleep on the cold, mossy ground next to the pony and the wagon full of food that the elves had given us.

I found myself staring up at the trees long after Ella had fallen asleep. I found myself thinking forcibly of Nathanial, who had completely escaped my mind but now returned to me with a jolt. I felt sick, like crying. I had left Nathanial without the slightest trace, other than Ella's stuff going missing.

I wondered if Nathanial thought I'd gotten caught and stopped coming to the garden because I'd been forbidden to. Or maybe he thought I thought myself above him and just decided he wasn't worth risking being caught for. I really rather hoped he thought the first.

So I lied awake, watching the soft breeze rustle the fallen leaves and the branches of the trees until I could no longer make them out in the darkness. It seemed as if the moon itself had diminished. I must have lied there for a couple of hours when my eyelids finally started to droop...

Then, suddenly, I heard a twig snap. I wasn't alarmed, plenty of animals lived in the forest. I continued to lay there, only I was wider awake than I had been a few seconds ago.

My eyelids started to droop again.

I heard something.

It sounded like low hissing.

I propped myself up on my hands so I was partially sitting up.

I peered into the darkness.

It was pitch black, I couldn't even see Ella whom I knew was asleep somewhere near my feet.

I could hear her breathing deeply.

The hissing got louder.

It started to sound kind of like words.

"NisSh! I'm starving! Let's attack now, before they wake up!"

I distinctly heared this out of the hissing, yet it sounded oddly as if the hissing and the words were one.

I sat bolt upright at that.

"Quiet! I think one's awake!" a hissing voice said.

Then, with a jolt I heard footsteps shuffling across the ground.

They were heavy footsteps.

They sounded like they belonged to something big and heavy.

I was about to scream so that Ella would wake.

I opened my mouth...

And something clapped itself over my mouth-

...before I could make a sound.

That something smelt horrible.

It was rough and rather hairy.

I'd have said it was a hand, only it was much too big to be a hand...

unless they had giants in this world?

But no, you'd think giants' hands would be even bigger.

I wasn't sure what is was, but I knew that it might not be altogether too good for me. I kicked out but met only air. I tried to hit something with my hands and feet and arms... any way I could, I fought back. But I only ended up getting sore body parts because I did hit something hard and hard it was. Hard as a stone.

I felt a huge, bulky, muscular, fatless arm make it's way around my waist and pull me toward the hard thing I'd hit before.

I felt myself being dragged into the trees.

I still could see nothing... not even the hand and forearm across my face.

I was forced to blindly stumble across the forest floor when the being threw me from him.

I tripped.

I was caught...

...by more huge beings of unknown appearances.

There was much more than three...

I didn't know how many there were though.

Before I could scream, my mouth was forced open by more giant hands.

A course something that must have been cloth was shoved into my mouth...

I couldn't make a sound.

I tried to fight...

with little success.

Whatever kind of creatures held me captive were unbelievably strong.

My hands were forced together.

They were tied with a thick, rough rope.

I tried to spit out the cloth; to kick to punch... anything I could.

Yet my legs were then forced together and my ankles: tied tied.

The ropes dug into my wrists and ankles brutily.

I was dropped onto the ground.

Nobody touched me, but the creatures were all moving in towards where I'd been sleeping.

I heard the pony whinny.

I was so exhausted.

I couldn't think straight.

I felt sleep wash over me.

Even though I didn't know what was going to happen... I still caved in to the wonderful relief of sleep.

**Author's Note: Please review!!**


	19. The Ogre's Spell

She was wide awake and untied. She was standing between two trees and looking terrified. No ogres were anywhere near her... they were all clustered around me! Why didn't she run?

The ogre called NisSH stepped forward.

"I'm the bossss here, and I'll tell you 'at we'll be takin' em home for a good meal."

The ogres started yelling in protest.

"Hussssh now! I'm the bosss 'round here an' I sssay my wife'll be awful hungry too now."

"Fine. I get an arm though. My favorite part," said another ogre.

"Are you ssure? Maybe we could keep them asss petss." One littler ogre said. After being offered a neck though, he abandoned that idea. I was shaking really bad.

The ogre's voice suddenly changed. From harsh and hissy it became smooth and oily.

"Come now. No one will hurt you. We only tied you so you wouldn't run while we sleeping. You see, if you get away from us, great harm will befall you. We are the only way you can be safe."

I believed them. Suddenly, I was sure that these ugly beings were not so ugly... in fact they were my protectors. Without them I would instantly crumble. They untied me and I walked alongside them.

We traveled on all day. I was vaguely aware that Ella was to my right the whole time and looking around worriedly. I wasn't worried. What was there to worry about anyway? These ogres were are friends.

Everything seemed kind of hazy. As if my memory had suddenly been filled with fog. I sort of remembered that day in the market with that ogre. I sort of remembered the fear I'd felt. As if anyone was in any real danger anyway! I could be really thick sometimes, and I knew it. These ogres were great. But then, why was I so scared that day? I couldn't quite remember. I was scared of nothing that's why! I was stupid and childish! But wait, there was _something_. Some reason I came to fear ogres. And that day in the wagon... Olive had screamed... but why? What had there been to be afraid of? Nothing! That's what! It was Olive for goodness's sake! But wait, Ella was scared too. So was I. Why??? What had Hattie screamed again anyway? _Eat me last!_ but why? The ogres would never hurt a fly. They were kind and gentle and wonderful and caring. They had even told me so. _Eat me last_! Why did I feel almost a shudder when I heard that?

I stopped in my tracks.

Ogres!

They'd eat us!

My mind cleared... it was as if the fog had evaporated.

Ogres were persuasive! That's it! They'd used their persuasive skills on me and that's why I was walking among them.

A big hairy hand grabbed me and pushed me forward.

I continued to walk.

What a mess I'd gotten myself into!

If I bolted, Ella would still be there! Not to mention the fact that the ogres could easily catch me... whether under their spell again or by foot... there had to be something we could do!

No doubt the ogres had figured out about Ella's Obedience. They had told her to stay put and she had to obey!

I looked up. The sun was almost gone! How long had I been under the ogre's spell? I had to prevent myself from falling under their spell again. But what?

"There now," said a smooth and silky voice. Hmmm... it sounded so pretty.

No! I wouldn't let myself fall under their spell again! I couldn't! Our life depended on it!

"Come, lie down. You look tired. Ohhhh you _are_ tired. You are utterly exhasted. Until we wake you up you'll have to fall asleep now. Mmmm, you're so tired."

Against my will I stopped.

No! I took another step.

"You're so tired."

I _was_ awfully tired. But no! I'd die if I fell asleep as surely as I'd never see my home again!

"Hmmm. Sleep. So inviting."

Yes. Sleep. Hmmmm. I sat down on the ground and my eyelids started to droop.

No! I wouldn't! I couldn't!

Tears trekked my face.

My eyelids bolted wide again.

"No. No. No." I muttered.

"Can't."

The fog was returning.

"Husssh now. Nonsense. Sleep well now. Escape to the world of dreams."

I lied down on the ground.

"No. Can't." But I could no longer remember why I couldn't. I was too overwhelmingly exhausted.

What was a little sleep anyway? A little couldn't hurt.

My eyelids closed.

"No! Don't!"

It was Ella.

I was awake again. The fog was clearing.

"Don't make another noise!" The ogre said angrily to Ella. She fell silent.

"Now sleep my pretty. Sleep."

The fog descended again; this time faster.

"Sleep. Sweet dreams. Go home in your dreams."

Home! Oh how I wanted to see home again.

"Visit Rupert and your home."

Rupert! Sorry Rupert! I hadn't meant to leave you like that!

My eyes closed again.

The last thing I heard before falling into a Rupert-and-home-filled dream was the word _Sleep_.

**Author's Note: Please review! Also, I'm sorry I took so long to update!  
**


	20. Ogress? Home?

"Sasha. Wake up."

I opened my eyes.

The sun was very bright and I had to blink a couple times before I became aware of the identity of the figure towering over me.

It was Ella.

"What..." I started. I sat up sleepily.

I gasped.

_What in heck's finest hotel???_ The ogres... they were all tied up!

I looked around. On horses were the prince and his nights. The prince was looking at Ella with admiration. The nights were all looking at Ella incredulously, and some of them even looked a little scared.

I turned to Ella.

"What... what happened? How'd the ogres..."

A night near Ella smiled.

"Never did hear o' a thing like it! This maiden_ talked_ the ogres into sleep!"

"Talked? How?"

"Well, I only imitated their persuasive tones in ogress. It wasn't hard really. Anyone could do it."

"Ogress? What's that?"

"The ogre's language." Ella said. The nights and the prince looked at me weirdly.

"The ogres have their own language? Funny, you'd think they'd have spoken it then."

Now Ella looked at me weird. What was their problems? I was just asking questions.

"They... they spoke Kyrrian to you. They spoke it in their persuasive voices. Perhaps you don't remember them speaking ogress because you were under their spell."

"But... they never spoke a different language."

"Yes... yes, they did Sasha."

Just then a horrible raspy laughter issued from NisSH the ogre.

"You foolish humans!" NisSh roared through the gag he'd managed to get out of his mouth.

Ella and the prince and nights covered their ears.

_I probably should too... I'm highly susceptible to their spells after all_. I thought. Yet for some odd reason, I didn't.

The prince and his nights shuffled over to NisSH and shoved the gag back in his mouth.

I felt crestfallen. I wanted to hear what that ogre was going to say. They said ogres knew all your secrets after all.

Could they know how was able to go home? Maybe it's like Dorothy of _Wizard of Oz_. Maybe I've got a way to go home right now but I just don't know it. The ogres would know. They _did_ know. How I wanted to go home!

"Well, Sir Stephen will be able to take you two back to Urnalda's wedding. I wish you the best of luck," the prince said. He said this more to Ella though.

I looked out into the forest.

Urnalda's wedding. Lucinda. Did that mean my time in this strange world was finally over? Would I soon be reunited with The Big Apple?

The thought gave me the chills.

I only felt some sadness. I'd be leaving Ella and Rupert. But I didn't want to think about that. I thought of what everyone's reactions would be when they saw me again.

They'd be so shocked.

Actually, I'd have to think of a good cover story for my absence. No one would believe that I was trapped in a phone booth and transported to another world/time.

Hmmm....

**Author's Note: Please review!!!**


	21. The Giant Wedding

**Author's Note: Please review!!!**

Sir Stephan never stopped talking. It was actually pretty annoying.

At night, we stayed at little inns. I got my own room, as did Ella. At night, I'd look out the window. None of the inns had gardens as grand as the one at the finishing school. Yikes. If I'm going to go back to New York, I've got to start thinking normal thoughts again. I mean, "as grand as?" I'd never have said anything like that before. That finishing school did have a negative effect on me I think.

Anyway, every time I looked out the window at the gardens, I missed Rupert. Sometimes, I'd find myself actually thinking he was waiting for me out there. I think I might be losing my mind. I wonder if all those people in the insane asylums were once transported to this place, got back home, and told everyone about their adventures? Or maybe they, like me, actually started to go crazy at this place and couldn't go home until they were totally _whoo-hoo_. I really, really, want to get home before anything like that happens to me.

I'll be smart enough not to tell anyone what happened.

So, things started to get bigger as we went on, or maybe it was just all in my head and another sure sign of oncoming craziness.

No, they really were getting bigger. Well, I suppose either that or I was just getting more psycho.

But at eleven o'clock, there was a pumpkin that was as big as the carriage we were in. Ella gasped. I sighed contentedly. She'd seen it too. I wasn't totally crazy.

By noon, we met a giant. A giant if you'll believe it! It was the strangest thing I ever saw. It was just as wide as a normal human, but about three times as tall. It was quite ugly.

"Hello!" Ella called, "We've come to attend the wedding of Uaaxee's daughter. But are we too late?"

"You're just in time!" the giant answered, "I'll lead you there."

Two hours later; two _long _hours, I might add, and we finally reached the farm were the wedding would take place. Who has a wedding at a farm?

Giants, I guess.

"Is Uaaxee expecting you?" the giant asked.

"No," Ella answered, "will she mind?"

"Mind? She won't be able to thank you enough for coming. Giants love strangers... and friends, too. Lots of friends and strangers will be there."

Who would want perfect strangers at their wedding? That's just plain weird.

Eventually, Koopooduk (that's the giant's name... creepy huh?) announced that we were at the house. It was huge.

My hands were sweating and my stomach was knotted so tightly, someone might have to do an emergency surgery to take it out and un-knot it. _Home at last._ Right?

We walked to the door.

Another giant opened the door; this one was a girl. She smiled at us. She could have swallowed us whole with a mouth that big.

"Hello!" She lifted Sir Stephen right off the horse. It looked for sure that she was going to eat him. No wonder giants love strangers so much. They love the_ taste_ of strangers I'll bet.

Then she saw me and Ella.

"Three people!" she said excitedly, "Welcome to both of you! Welcome! The wedding will be in a little while. Udabee! Look whose here!"

Udabee was another giant. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by this time. I only wished they'd eat us fast and right away so I didn't have to keep thinking about it.

"I can't stay madame. I just brought these young ladies to find their father," Sir Stephan said.

_What?_

"Her father?"

"Sir Peter of Frell," Ella told her.

I looked around. The giants were too big. If I bolted, they'd surely catch me.

"So this is his daughter! He never said a word... Where is he? I'll find him. He'll be so glad you're here."

"Please don't!" Ella cut in, "I want to surprise him."

How could they be acting so relaxed when we're about to be eaten? First by ogres, and now by giants! I wish I home! Only, now I'd never get there!

"Surprise! I love surprises. I won't tell."

I had just about peed my pants by now.

"I must go," said Sir Stephen, getting on his horse, "Goodbye Sasha, Ella, madame."

Goodbye... it sounded so final. But how was he getting away so easily? Perhaps he'd been working for the giants all along and brought us here to this trap! I was supposed to go to some wedding were a fairy was! Not a wedding where I'd be the main course!

"But how can you leave the party? You didn't even come in!"

"Madame, it grieves me to go," he said. "Only a matter of the utmost urgency could take me away." He winked at us, "Please don't be sad. I'll only be able to comfort myself if I believe you are happy."

The giant smiled through her tears. Undoubtably, they were tears because she was losing a meal.

"At least let me give you food for your journey."

Then she left to go get more food. Maybe it was more people. I'd love to be the food she gave Sir Stephen... I'd be saved! I could go back to Rupert!

When the giant came back out I could only stutter; I was so scared.

But she gave Sir Stephan a hamper. Perhaps the food she gave him was a dead body. I swallowed.

"Let us go then," Ella said to me and we went through the door. There were creatures of all sizes there... and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Maybe we weren't going to be eaten after all. But then again, maybe they were trying to lull us into a false sense of security.

There was food there for us. It was either for our benefit or just to fatten us up. At any rate, the food was huge. A green bean was _three feet long_! Even if I liked green beans, it'd take me weeks to eat that thing!

I didn't eat anything, even though Ella did. Well, she tried to.

Then a gong sounded. What did that mean? That is was time for the giants to feast?

Everyone marched outside. Ella jumped behind me. I looked up. There was Sir Peter of Frell.

Then we all sat in stands and watched the wedding. Perhaps I could hide under the stands and the giants would miss me. Then, I could sneak out.

The wedding was very boring, but I watched it anyway. It made me think of those dumb science movies we had to watch in school every then and again. I sighed. What I'd give to watch one of those boring movies instead of this right now...

Anyway, at the end of the wedding it started to rain. Figures doesn't it? Anyway, then, suddenly, there was a crash and beings in the stands thundered down to the newly married couple. Were the people giving their lives willingly or something? I was glad I hadn't bothered to pay attention to the ceremony. Maybe they put some kind of spells on the people that were watching or something.

Before, my fear had been somewhat diminished, but now it sprang up again. Maybe I could slip away then. But Ella didn't move. She had been watching it.

So I watched the people. If Ella started to go forward, I'd grab her and be out of here in the blink of an eye.

Then something interesting happened. Everyone started to move back and the giants that had just been wed looked as if they were crying.

A beautiful woman (So beautiful I wanted to throw something at her) looked all smug and was trying to look sympathetic. Who was that, anyway.

"Lady..." Ella called. I didn't pay her any attention. I marched right up to her; pushing through the crowd.

"What is going on here?" I asked menacingly, "Why are they crying?"

"I have no idea why they should be crying," the lady said cooly. Her voice had a sing-song sound to it. Then she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I jumped; who could just disappear like that?

How had she done it?

I turned. She couldn't have gone far. I intended to find her and get to the bottom of this. The giants hadn't eaten me yet anyway, so I would help them if I could.

I quickly found Ella again.

"That was Lucinda!" She told me.

Lucinda. That was the fairy who might help me get home! But...

We both scanned the crowd.

"There are her friends!" she said.

We hurried towards them.

Lucinda materialized right in front of them.

"Ha!" I said, "There she is!"

But Ella had already seen her.

"Wait!" She said; thrusting her arm in front of me so that I ran into it and stopped.

"Wait? There's my one chance to get home!"

"Just... this won't be easy. Let - let's go more indirectly."

I sighed, but I could see the sense in her plan.

"I won't waste my breath telling you how wrong it is to disappear and reappear as you do," the man she was standing next to told her, "I hope you don't plan to do it again in the middle of his crowd.

"No, Cyril. How could I leave the scene of my greatest triumph?"

"What horror did you visit on this poor couple?" he asked.

"No horror, a gift!"

"What gift then?" the lady asked.

"Ah, Claudia. I gave them companionship and felicitous union."

"How did you accomplish that?"

"I gave them the gift of being together always. They can go nowhere without each other. Isn't it splendid?"

Trade harsh.

That would be horrible!

Their conversation continued until...

"...Wenches!" Lucinda cried suddenly, turning to us, "What are you staring at? I mean you!"

"They're probably more supplicants," Cyril said, "come to beg you to take away gifts you gave them at birth."

"Don't turn these into squirrels! I can't bear to watch it." Claudia grabbed Lucinda's wrist, "You can't know squirrels lead 'charming, contented lives.' I'm sure they prefer to be human maidens."

A squirrel? Geez... this lady was MEAN.

"I don't understand Kyrrian," Ella said.

_What?_

Lucinda said, "I'm sorry, my sweet. I asked you why you were staring at me."

Huh? Nobody switched languages or anything... something weird was going on.

"You're so beautiful." Ella said.

_What?_ _Ella_ said that?

"What a darling child! What are your names dears?"

"Elle," said Ella, "and Asha."

"Asha? I've never heard that name before. It's sweet. But beauty isn't important, dears. Only what's in your hear is important. Do you understand that?"

She was treating us like we were stupid, and Ella was encouraging it... why?

"Yes. We're sorry we stared." Ella said.

"No need to be sorry, sweets. You did nothing wrong." She smiled.

"Thank you lady." Ella curtsied. I followed suit.

"You may call me Lucinda."

"They would not have me say so, [she looked at the two friends of hers] but I am a fairy."

"A fairy! That's why you're so beautiful."

"My friends-"

"Are shopkeepers," Cyril said firmly, "We sell shoes."

"For tiny feet." Lucinda laughed.

"For children," Claudia said.

"Oh," Ella said, "Well we don't need shoes, but we need help, magical help. Can you help us Lady Lucinda?"

"You don't need her help," Claudia said, "You should leave her while you still may."

"But we need help!" I cried.

"I'd be delighted to help you. You see, Claudia, they do need us. Tell me, Elle."

"I want mettle, if you please, lady. Whatever anyone tells me to do, I do, whether I want to or not. I've always been this way, but I wish I weren't."

"I knew how sweet you were the moment I saw you. Obedience is a marvelous gift, Elle. Sometimes I give that gift to little babies. I certainly won't take it away from you. Be happy to be blessed with such a lovely quality."

"But..." Ella started, "Thank you! Thank you, lady! Thank you!"

What?

"What did you do to her?" I asked angrily.

Lucinda ignored me.

"Now run along Elle," she said and then she turned to me.

"And what is it you want?" she asked. Ella ran off.

"What did you do her?"

"I didn't do anything to her."

"There's something wrong with her!" Now Lucinda scowled at me.

"Look, are you just here to insult me?"

"No! No... sorry," I said quickly. "I actually came asking for a favor myself.

"Oh? What?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help me get home."

"To Ayortha?"

"No! Not anywhere here... in a place called... New York City."

"Never heard of such a place."

"I don't imagine so... I'd never heard of this place before I got here."

"How did you get here?"

I explained to her. She seemed genuinely perplexed.

"I'm sorry dear, but I don't know where New York is... I can't help you."

No! She was my last hope! My only chance!

Tears sprung in my eyes.

What now?

I _had_ to get home!

**Author's Note: Please review!**


	22. The Voice

I started to run. I ran and ran and never looked back once. I'd never see home again. Myra, Gabby, my parents... it was as if they'd all died. I'd given up hope of ever getting home again. I'd never get home. Never. And why? Because that stupid fairy couldn't help me. Ella thought she could. Ella _said_ she could, didn't she? Ella got my hopes soaring. Ella. It was Ella's fault. She was the reason I was never going to see anyone I knew or loved again. I could have been the world's most successful website designer ever... but there was no chance of that happening now.

Because of Ella.

Ella!

It was her fault!

And there was that guy in biology that I had had a crush on forever. Oh- what was his name? Sh- uh.. Sean. Yeah. I'd never date him now!

The gnome that predicted my going home must have been wrong.

I got deep into the forest. I didn't care. I could run into a whole slew of ogres. I didn't care where I ended up. Just as long as it was as far away as possible from this horrible place.

Ella!

It was Ella's fault I'd never date Sean!

It was Ella's fault I'd never see Myra!

It was Ella's fault none of my dreams would come true!

It was Ella's fault I wouldn't be rich and famous!

This was such a nightmare!

And it was all because of Ella!!!

I felt like screaming.

I wanted to tear at something, to break it, to crush it, to throw it, to destroy it.

A scream rose from the back of my throat.

I tripped and stumbled over a fallen log. I landed on my face.

I barely even noticed.

I sobbed.

My body shook with more.

* * *

I must've laid there and cried for hours before I'd finally fallen asleep.

By now it was the dawn of a new day.

I stood up and stretched.

I looked around.

I didn't recognize any of my surroundings.

I could feel grit and dry tear tracks on my face.

I had no idea where in this world I was.

My hair pulled at me... it was tangled into knots.

I must have gone quite a ways in no specific direction.

My stupid girly finishing school dress was ripped.

I was hopelessly lost with no way home.

My gut throbbed, and I clenched my abdomen. I was hungry. I hadn't eaten in a long time.

But really, I knew there was more to it.

I felt guilty.

It wasn't Ella's fault for anything.

It was just so much easier to blame someone than to just face the fact that no one was responsible for my not going home, except whoever or whatever had brought me here in the first place.

I sighed.

Where was Ella anyway?

Who knew?

Who cared?

She'd be fine.

I should be more concerned with what I'm going to do next. If I'm going to be stuck here, I might as well make the best of it. I'd get a job somewhere. If nothing else, as a maid. Yech... servantry. Maybe I'd be a seamstress or something. I could probably convince a talor to give me a job.

But first, I had to find my way out of this thick forest.

Where to go?

Everything looked the same.

I got up and started to walk forward in as straight a line as I could manage what with the trees in my way.

* * *

I'd went on that way for quite a while; stopping only to eat or go to the bathroom. It must've been about two weeks now. I'd collected food from plants and was hungry for meat. I _am_ hungry for meat. Bacon, sausage, ham, pork, beef, hamburgers... images flashed through my mind. I could almost taste the savory juices. The only water I could get was at springs or little creeks I found.

I was hungry.

I was thristy.

I was dirty.

I wanted home!

* * *

I had no idea where I was going, but I figured that eventually I'd have to end up _somewhere_, right?

So far, no such luck. I was beginning to get discouraged.

Just then, I heard a shout ahead of me.

I instantly became alert and looked into the dark canopy of trees ahead of me. I couldn't see anything that would have made a sound like that. It had been sort of a strangled cry. It had sounded like it had come from a man but...

"yessss, we'll eat gooood toonight, nO?" A hissing voice said. Noises of approval followed. I remembered hissy of voices just like that. Ogres. And the sounded close. Whould I never be able to avoid them? The kept crossing my path.

"W-what are you saying?" stammered the voice of a man. I very well might have been mistaken, but the voice sounded almost familiar.

I knew I should go. I should run. The ogres weren't hunting me, right? They probably didn't know I was over here. I should go. Now! Run! Yet... I couldn't leave whoever it was the ogres had... but I wouldn't be able to do anything even if I stayed.

I heard ogres' laughter.

"i love it twhen they ssound so sscared, don't tyoU?" an ogre asked. More mutters of approval.

"ssay, you don't smell more humans do you? It sseems I dO..." one said. Me! They smelt me! The ogres laughed.

"you're smelling isn't right theN. there's no one elsse abouT." an gruff male ogre said.

"i-i think the old fool might be right..." an ogre said.

"You! Honey, you're all right. No one's going to hurt you. We just want to know who you're here with! Tell us, now..." said a sweet voice.

My head started to spin. I opened my mouth.

Wait - NO! Not this time! I shook my head to clear it.

"No one," the man said, "I'm alone."

"Alone, are you? Why? Why are you in the middle of this wood _alone_? Even ogres aren't that stupid."

The voice never lost it's sweetness, thus even the mild insult sounded like the world's best compliment. I shook myself again.

"I'm looking for someone." The man said simply.

I knew I knew that voice. Who was it?

"Who, dearie?"

"A girl."

"A girl? Is she around here? What's the name?"

I gasped. I knew who it was!

"Sasha."

**Author's Note: Sorry about the Nathaniel/Rupert thing, I forgot, but he's Nathaniel. Also, please review!**


	23. Weird Happenings

Nathaniel!!! What the heck was Nathaniel doing here?

I couldn't just _leave_ him! The problem was, he was in the ogres' clutches, and I knew all too well that if I tried to rescue him I'd end up trapped by the ogres too!

I moaned and clapped my hand over my mouth.

Oops! Now the ogres would find me too! How stupid could I get?

I listened closely.

"did you hear ssomethinG?" asked an ogre.

"nO! now shut up and let's eat before I knock your brains ouT!" another ogre snarled.

He sniffed.

"mmmmmmm, smells deliciouS!"

"yes, yes, finE."

"'i'm taking the necK!"

"oh, no you don'T! i got iT!"

I was stupid. I was stupid. I was stupid. I was stupid. But I knew what I had to do. Or, _try_ to do at least. I was crazy. I was suicidal. I didn't want to die!!!

"Plenty of neck to go around, right?" I called into the trees in front of me. Stupid. Stupid! Stupid me!

"whO...?" an ogre snarled, then abruptly her voice changed into that smooth persuasive tone.

"Come here darling. We won't hurt you. You must Sasha!" Stupid! I was stupid! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!!

"Of course I am." speaking as roughly as they had been before. I was SO stupid!

The ogre gasped in surprise.

"careful then griinA! it could be a traP! didn't you hear about that other group of ogres who were caughT? they said the girl spoke our languagE! how often do humans speak ogresS?"

Speaking ogress? Again with the languages! I'd been speaking_ English_!

Regardless of the language, I laughed scornfully and stepped into a small clearing. There was just enough light to make out quite a few huge, bulky shapes and one smaller one. Nathaniel. He looked dazed until he saw me.

"Sasha! What... "

He shouted in surprise and horror when he noticed our companions.

"hush, deariE. We do not want to harm you. Nor do we plan on it. Just keep quiet now, huh?" an ogre soothed. I scowled when Nathaniel's eyes slid out of focus again. Stupid! I was so stupid!

"Well, I presume it was NisSH that you were talking of just now?" I asked casually.

"You were the girl!"

No. Ella was the girl...

"Yup. You got that right!"

"i smell magic coming from heR. CarthaKkA, look into her eyeS!"

What? Look into my eyes? I winced.

The ogres gasped.

What?

"D-dearie, you must tell us the truth," an ogre said in a very persuasive voice. But I wasn't_ that_ dumb. Okay, I was, but I still didn't for a fraction of a second trust that voice.

"Ha!" I retorted, "Must I?"

The ogres eyed each other warily.

"you seE? she doesn't even knoW!"

Know what?

My voice sounded a lot braver than I felt.

"What _exactly_ do I not know?" I asked skeptically.

"We'll tell you, but you must sleep first." An ogre said, attempted persuasiveness evident in his honey-sweet voice.

"Yeah right! Nice try! Let him go now!" I motioned to Nathaniel.

I'd expected the ogres to laugh. They outnumbered us _and_ they were ten times bigger and stronger than us.

The last thing I expected was for them to exchange more wary glances.

This was going _way_ better than I'd expected so far. Was it possible for my luck to last long enough to get us out of here?

"What do plan on doing then?" the ogre asked.

"You mean after I pound you all to dust? Go home of course!" I retorted. Inside, I was shaking with fear. I was going to die. _We_ were going to die. This was it. I'd come to terms with not seeing my old life again, but there were still so many things I should have said. So many things I should have _done_. I'd never thanked Ella for helping me, apologized to Nathaniel, or so many other things. I could have helped change someone's life. What was the last thing I'd said to Gabby? I hoped it was nice. My parents? I'd been failing English before... I'd never set that right now. And in finishing school, I'd never really been that nice to Areida...

But I made sure my voice, face, and body language portrayed none of my fear. I'd always wanted to go into acting; now I was acting not only for my own life, but for someone else's as well.

(Talk about 'no pressure'.)

The ogres glanced at each other.

"Than how do you purpose we eat?" an ogre asked.

Weird. Why hadn't they killed us yet? I'd just insulted them!

"I dunno, that's _your_ problem!" I decided to push my unbelievable good luck to the limit, "_We_ are leaving now." I grabbed Nathaniel's wrist and pulled him away.

I heard hissing, but no pursuit behind us. Nathaniel was still too dazed to say anything and he kept stumbling.

"let them gO!" one ogre hissed, "you know what she could do to yoU!"

I did not run. That would only betray my fear.

* * *

"W-what..." Nathaniel stuttered; blinking.

We'd walked for about three miles until I'd found a small creek and splashed water in his face.

That brought him back to himself.

I still couldn't believe what I'd done.

I still wasn't entirely sure _how_ I'd done it.

"Why- how- how the _hell_ did you get us out of there?"

"Um, I'm not 100% sure of that myself."

He'd been frowning, but now his face lit up.

"I can't believe I found you!"

"Yeah, I could say the same thing," I said, suddenly angry, "What were you_ doing_ here?"

His grin only got wider.

"Looking for you, of course. Where might _you_ have been?"

I blinked.

"Looking for a way home," I mumbled. His smiled hardened.

"Ah. Am I to assume you failed, or merely that you wanted to see me as badly as I wanted to see you. Thus, you decided to stay?"

My cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you or at least given you some sort of warning... it was just very last-moment."

His smile became guinine.

"I understand. And, I guess I don't need to worry anymore." He leaned in closer, "There is something I _do_ need to know though."

"What's that?"

"How did you resist the ogres' spell?"

That took me off guard. Huh? Wait... I ran through the conversation in my head. They had tried to be persuasive. But I hadn't even noticed. How had that worked?

"Huh. I don't know."

He leaned in closer.

"I missed you."

I looked into his eyes. I'd missed him too. I'd forgotten how great he looked so close before.

His hand touched my cheek. He seemed hesitant.

I smiled, encouraging him.

His lips moved closer to mine.

I stood on my toes to meet him halfway there.

His lips pushed against mine.

Suddenly, the world dissolved. It was just me and him. A thousand swirling colors whirled around us. Fireworks were exploding in my heart. My head spun.

I was abruptly pulled back into the world when I heard a streak and the bang of real fireworks above me.

I pulled away quickly and looked up. To my utter shock and confusement, a real firework had just exploded above our heads.

I gasped.

He gasped too, and tensed next to me.

The colors of the fireworks were so beautiful, yet they seemed very unnatural in this place. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed fireworks!

"Let's get out of here!" he yelled.

"Why?"

"It's- what was that? I-"

The fireworks. Or rather, the firework. He was afraid of it.

I supposed, he'd never actually seen fireworks before.

"It's alright. Where I'm from, they're very common."

He eyed me skeptically.

"Are you _sure_?"

"Yes. They're harmless... from down here... Now, where to next? I'm through with wierd stuff going on..."

"Sleep?" he asked, "I can't say I don't agree..."

"Sleep, then."

I smiled, remembering the kiss.

I didn't think my luck could get any better.

Sleep... would it end my good luck? I hoped not...

I was so tired... (Acting for life - literally - is more tiresome than I'd have believed possible.)

As I found a comfortable spot of ground, (Nathaniel's was only five feet away from me...) I couldn't get that firework or my mysterious luck out of my head. Why had the ogres just let us go? It didn't make any sense.

**Author's Note: Please review!**


	24. Important Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**I made a sort of newsletter where I'll have news about my stories, I'll ask for your opionions on stuff, you can give me ideas, you can give me critisicm, you can ask me questions, you can request things, and other stuff on here... So that those of you who are fans of my fanfictions can sort-of stay up-to-date and know I didn't abondon you if I don't update right away...**

**Please, tell me if you think this is stupid or whatever, because I really want to know your opinions!**

**The newsletter is in my stories under the title Newsletter.**

**It's under the categories Twilight and Harry Potter because that's what two of my stories are on... **

**Anyway, please, enjoy!**


	25. Almost In New York

The next few months passed by in a daze. Nathaniel had known better than I where we had been, though even his idea had been pretty vague.

Anyway, he had found us a way into civilization. It was a small town called Yond. We'd found and rented an apartment sort-of-thing that had one small bedroom, a bathroom, and a tiny kitchen/parlour combination. He had given me the bedroom and he slept on a tiny sofa-type of thing that was way too small for him. I had tried to convince him to trade because I could fit on the sofa, but to no avail. He instisted that I should be very comfortable.

(He'd used the whole lady-gentlemen scenario.)

Anyway, we were masquerading as a married couple from Ayortha. My name was now Acacia and Nathaniel's was Eugene.

I got a job embrodiering for a talor and Nathanial got a job as a carpenter.

I guess we did a pretty good job with our fascade; no one seemed to find us suspicious.

Our life was pretty routine - get up, eat some breakfast, go embrodier, go home, talk for a few hours with Nathaniel or Eugene, (whatever you want to call him) go to sleep, and do it all over again.

It was _so_ boring. I don't know what I'd do if it weren't for Nathaniel.

We talked all the time, and I realized how much I liked him. He had his flaws, don't get me wrong, but they were worth it. I loved talking to him. He was my very best friend. I became closer to him than I ever was to anyone, Gabby and Myra included. He knew my every secret, my every favorite, my dislikes, my peeves, my style - everything. My life story, even though he didn't understand a lot of it, fascinated him. He believed me. I knew that if it had been Nathaniel that had been dropped into my world, I wouldn't have believed _him_. Probably I'd have called the cops or just thought he was insane. I made sure he knew this, too. It was amazing, someone knowing me that much. Knowing me so completely... knowing every fault and still accepting me for it.

He told me all about himself too. His life story was much more interesting than mine. Both his parents raised him. His father had been abusive and Nathaniel had lived in fear of him until Nathaniel had been around twelve and grew bigger and stronger than his father. When his mother had died, his father had gone berserk. He started working in the black market and would suddenly do anything for money. He tried to force Nathaniel to do his dirty work for him, but Nathaniel refused and even threatened to say something to someone if his father tried to get him to do something again. His father pointed out that VERY easily he could frame Nathaniel for some horrible crime if he tried to. If Nathaniel wouldn't help his father, his father was going to go as far as _killing someone_ and framing him for it. So Nathaniel had run away. That's when I ran into him.

I swept the broom across the floor, mulling things over. Was this how my life was supposed to go on forever like? If I'd been in New York...

But I wasn't. I was in Yond. I sighed. I closed my eyes. I imagined I was in my classy expensive apartment in New York.

I froze.

I didn't know what to imagine.

I couldn't remember.

I couldn't remember what my apartment looked like.

I couldn't picture it.

I couldn't picture Myra.

I couldn't picture my parent.

I couldn't picture my best friend, Gabby.

This couldn't be happening.

I'd long ago come to terms with never being in New York again, but this was entirely different. I needed to be able to remember. It was the one link that I had to New York. If I didn't have that, I'd have nothing. It would be like being happy to not be in America...

No.

I couldn't let this happen.

I opened my eyes.

I had to reassure myself.

Somehow, someway, I had to remember _something_.

I would force myself to picture it with my eyes open. That way it would come for strongly.

I strained my brain, trying to see exactly what a street in New York City looked like at night.

The lights.

The bright, neon lights of the buildings, the cars...

With relief, I realized that I could see them forming on the whitewashed wall of this dreary little apartment. I could picture the buildings that followed then. I could see the street. The people everywhere.

I could see it! I could see the cars and the lights and the people and the buildings and _everything_! It seemed like the apartment was melting away, only to be replaced by New York City. It seemed almost real. It was definitly dizzying. It seemed to be solidifying every second.

I could hear it next.

I could hear the whooshing of tons of cars passing by me on the busy road.

I could hear people talking.

I could hear sirens blaring.

I could hear New York City.

I could smell it next.

I could -

"Sasha!"

I spun around and New York City instantly dissolved.

Nathaniel had come in. He had an odd expression on his face. It almost looked... fearful? But that didn't make any sense. Why would he look _fearful_?

"What?" I asked. I took a step forward.

"You - you - "

"I _what?"_

"You were-"

"What?!?"

"You were almost like - like - like a _ghost_!"

"Huh?"

"You were - it looked like you were only partly here..."

"How could I be only _partly_ here?"

"I _don't know_!"

And then the idea struck me.


	26. On The Way

"Nathaniel!"

"What?"

"We _have_ to go to Frell! Right now!"

"What? Why?"

"_Because_ I've got a brilliant beyond brilliant idea! We've _got_ to find Mandy!"

"Mandy? Who's Mandy?"

I sighed, exasperated, and rolled my eyes.

"Ella's fairy godmother. _Remember_?"

"No. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"It has _everything_ to do with _everything_!!!"

I grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door.

"Sasha! _Wait_!" He stopped, pulling me to a halt.

"What? Nathaniel! We have to _go_!"

"Explain first."

"There's no time!"

"Why not?"

"Because! Listen! Ugh! I can't believe I didn't think of this before!"

"Think of _what_ before?"

"I think I might have figured out a way for me to get home! We need to get to Frell!"

Shock flickered on his face and then was replaced by an unfathomable expression.

"You mean... New York City?"

"_Yes_!!!" It was about time. Didn't he see the importancy here? Why did he not feel the urge, the need, to get there fast, to see if my idea would work?

I might, just might, have an opportunity to _go_ _home_!!!

* * *

"Nathaniel! What is your _problem_?" He hadn't said a word the entire way here.

He sighed.

"Sasha, you always get like this when you're determined to do something or get something."

"What _exactly_ do you mean by that?"

"I _mean_ that you get very impatient and you don't think things through. You get annoyed by the littlest things."

"I do _not_!" I rolled my eyes.

Nathaniel grinned.

"You've just proved my point, you know."

"Nuh-uh. _You_ are being _extremely_ immature."

I tapped my foot impatiently. Honestly, this was taking _forever_!

Nathaniel's stupid grin was still stretched across his face.

I scowled.

"Nathaniel!"

"What?"

"Stop!"

"Stop what?"

Ugh! He was being so annoying on _purpose_! He was _trying_ to provoke me!

"You know very well what. Stop being so annoying!"

He only laughed and held up his hand, "I'm sorry, really, I am, it's just that you're proving my point time and time again and - sorry!" He laughed again, "I can stop."

"Ha! Yeah right!"

"I _can_." He pressed his lips together tightly but the corners of his mouth twitched.

"We're in Frell!" the coach driver said suddenly.

I jumped up.

Nathaniel looked... _pained_?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Well, I couldn't dwell on this now. I had to find Mandy.

I jumped out of the coach and Nathaniel followed.

We walked about twenty steps when I realized that I had no idea where I was going.

"Let's go back and ask the coach driver for directions... I'm lost."

A weird look appeared on Nathaniel's face before he said, "We don't need to ask directions. I'll find the way."

I burst out laughing. Apparently, men and asking directions were the same everywhere.

"What?"

"Nothing."

I ran back to the coach driver and asked for directions anyway. Nathaniel stayed right where he was.

I had to laugh at the look on his face when I got back to him.

"You didn't need to ask directions. I could have found the way."

"Well, just the same, I've got them now and I know where we're going."

Then I felt that urge, that need, (that had been temporarily diminished with Nathaniel's boycott on asking directions,) flare up again at full-scale. I _had_ to get to Mandy. I _had_ to see if there was a chance of my getting home!

* * *

The house that I was directed to was not Ella's house. I remembered Ella's house from the last time I was there, and this was not it. This was a lot grander than that house...

The driver must have gotten the directions wrong. Maybe he got the name wrong. Maybe he just thought it was funny to try to get people hopelessly lost. The reason really didn't matter.

I would just have to ask directions here.

Nathaniel let out a low whistle when I stopped walking.

"This is it?"

"Yeah," I lied. After I asked directions I'd tell him the truth.

"Well. They've got a _lot_ of money."

"I guess."

We went to the door and knocked.

I heard several muffled voices on the other side of the grand double doors.

"Get that!"

"I've got-"

"I don't care, get it!"

"I can't, my hands are full!"

"I've got it!"

The door opened.

Servants were bustling about behind a large woman.

A very-familiar-face-topped-with-frizzy-grey-hair type of large woman..

She looked me over.

She examined Nathaniel in much the same way.

I was so happy, I was frozen where I stood, unable to move a muscle.

**Author's Note: Sorry, I know this is a short chapter, but please review! Oh, and my Newsletter that I mentioned before is apparently against the rules so now I've made a website only links don't save on here. It's:**

**w w w . j a d e s 1 1 3 - n e w s l e t t e r . w e b s . c o m**

**Only, obviously, without all the spaces. Thanks!**

**Jade**


	27. Realization

"Mandy!!!"

I threw myself into her arms.

I suppose, since I'd only met her once, that that would have been weird for her, but Ella had told me so much about her that I felt as close to her as Ella was.

"You... you're Sasha, right?"

"Yes! Mandy! Oh, Mandy! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"

I staggered back.

"Me?"

"Yes! Oh, yes! Listen, I might have figured out a way to get home! Did Ella tell you - Ella! Oh my gosh! Is she here?"

I'd suddenly remembered Ella and my departure. I'd left her skipping away as happy as can be to be cursed, didn't I?

"Oh! Is she alright? Is she normal?"

I felt giddy and hyper. I was going home!!! I felt like dancing, like singing, like jumping up and down, like acting like I was five again! I was going home! I really was! Was it not impossible that my idea _wouldn't_ work? Of course not! I was going home!

"Wow, this is so amazing, I can't believe, oh my gosh! Is Ella here? Wow, Mandy, Mandy, can you help me?"

She was still gazing at me speculatively.

"Slow down child, what do you mean?"

I was too excited! I couldn't waste valuable time explaining it to her! I looked back at Nathaniel for help.

He was frozen, apparently immobile, two feet behing me. He was as still as a statue. His face was hard.

I was annoyed. What was his _problem_? Why wasn't he as euphoric as me?

I waved the annoyance off. If he wanted to sulk for no apparent reason, I would let him.

"I think I found a way for me to get back to New York City!"

She seemed as unexcited as Nathaniel. That annoyed me even more.

"Listen, is Ella here?" If she was, _she_ would understand. I would _make_ her understand. She'd be just as excited as me.

"Yes... come in, come in."

So I stepped in behind her and grabbed Nathaniel's hand and dragged him in too.

The hallway was the grandest thing I'd seen in a long time.

But she led us to the servant's quarters.

"You're very lucky that I was passing the entryway when you came here you know."

"Why?"

"The dame probably wouldn't permit you staying here."

"Oh. I don't plan on staying here. I think you could help me get home!"

"And just how would I do that, dear?"

"Because you're a fairy of course!"

She stopped. She looked at me, furious.

I didn't get it. What did I say?

She dragged me into a room.

"Do not say that so loud!" she wispered angrily, "Did Ella tell you that?"

"Yes! Yes, and she explained to me that you don't do big magic and all that, but this isn't! Not really!"

"Transfering you to someplace _is_ big magic. Very big magic. Besides, I don't even know what New York is, so I couldn't get you there if I wanted to."

I had anticipated her saying something like this. So my answer was ready.

"Mandy. _I_ can picture New York. I can picture it so clear it almost seems real! I can hear it and smell and - and almost taste it!"

I was almost crying then, which was really annoying.

"Mandy! Please! If I can picture it as clear as day can't you _will_ me to get to the place I'm imagining!?!"

"No! That's entirely too big of magic!"

"Wait - you mean it would work though? You_ could_ if it wasn't big?"

She sighed.

"But it is big, very big, and I can't."

"How is it big? There's no consequences! Somehow I got here, and somehow I've _got_ to get back home! What could possibly be in the out come of letting me go home!?!"

"A lot! Listen, by some big magic, you came here, and then you met Ella and me, and you're friend out in the hall... you changed all of our lives, no matter how insignificantly by coming here. If you-"

"I don't care! Listen, if I changed there lives by coming here, I'll set it right by going home!"

"No! You're friend out in the hall! You think _he_ is going to go back to a normal life when you're gone, as if you've never been here? You think he'd be here if not for you? Your being here has changed the course of his life!"

It was like she'd slapped me in the face. I had not anticipated this. To be honest, the thought hadn't crossed my mind once.

Then another idea hit me.

"Nathaniel doesn't have a life to go back to! He can come with me of course!"

"No. Absolutely not. It's impossible too."

"Impossible because you're not willing or impossible because it's really not in anyway possible, even if you wanted it to be possible?"

"Both!"

No wonder Nathaniel had been sulky. He had immediatly realized what I hadn't seen until it was pointed out to me.

But I couldn't leave Nathaniel.

But I _had_ to get home!

**Author's Note: Sorry, I know this is short, but please review it anyway!**


	28. Conflict

Nathaniel!

Home!

The two options were running - no - _screaming in argument with each other_ in my head.

I was laying in a dingy old bed in a dingy old room that Mandy had helped me to. I barely noticed any of my surroundings.

I hadn't had room in my brain for anything else when Mandy had started talking to me. Thankfully, she'd seen that, and had ushered me to the bed.

"You need to think," I'd vaguely registered her saying before she'd left, "and make your decision wisely. There's no going back."

"But - Nathaniel - I could visit him! Right? I could come back?!" I'd said. I had already known the answer, but that hadn't stopped a fresh wave of anguish at me when Mandy had shaken her head.

_"_But couldn't I go home then... for a little while... just to say goodbye... and then come back?" I'd been whispering at that point.

"No. That wouldn't be possible."

That's when she'd left.

I had no idea how much time had passed.

I was staring at the ceiling without seeing anything.

I felt... dead, somehow. Which ever way I chose to go, I'd be losing what I loved most, what I clung to.

Nathaniel hadn't come in yet.

That was good; I didn't know what I'd do if he came in.

Mandy was right, I needed to think.

And I needed to do it alone.

_Strange,_ I thought, _I feel so... subtle. Almost... withdrawn. Like I'm in a coma or something_. _Usually when I get upset or excited about something I get all hyper and don't think about things_ - I winced. Nathaniel was right. He was right about me a lot; he was very observant.

How could I leave him? His laugh, his charm, his manner, his quiet-ness, his observant nature, his problem with asking directions?

I smiled a little, but I knew that it was a sad attempt at the act.

But really, _how_? It would be painful. Physically and emotionally.

He was so sweet, so kind, so... _good_.

How could I abondon the way I felt so warm and safe when he was near me, the companionship I felt that held us together? I would die for him, without question, right away, not even having to think about it. Actually, I had already.

Almost.

The ogres.

I had proved my willingness to die for him then, but only subconciously.

_I loved him._

I'd never used the words before, even in my brain, but I realized that they were true even as it crossed my mind for the first time.

I loved him.

I said it again in my head, and again.

My heart expanded and warmth flooded into it everytime I said those three powerful words.

I loved him.

I liked how it sounded, and truth rang out in every one of the three life-changing words.

I couldn't leave him.

Never.

I laughed aloud.

So there was no problem, no conflict!

I'd go out there and kiss him and tell him what I knew was true.

...But I also knew that I wouldn't.

I didn't know if he felt the same way.

Did _he_ love _me_?

He'd gone looking for me after I'd left finishing school. That had to count for something. He'd kissed me. Two counts in my favor.

But how could I be _sure_?

I was a coward, and I knew it. I didn't want him to know how I felt about him until I knew for sure that he felt the same way. I loved so wholeheartidly that I wouldn't even hate him if he hated me. I would go on loving him. But I still would hate myself. I didn't deserve Nathaniel, that much was certain. Look at all my flaws! I was impulsive, I always missed the obvious, I had a terrible problem with getting annoyed easily when I really got into something, I was totally inconsiderate, I was obnoxious, I was selfish, I was stupid, I was slow, I was tactless, I was mean, I was cruel, I was - _everything_ wrong for him!

_Nathaniel doesn't know about all my flaws,_ I realized, a_nd he doesn't realize a lot of them either_.

He didn't. He didn't know all of the stuff I'd done before I'd gotten here, the people I'd hurt, how nasty I'd been.

Even to Myra. Myra! Myra, my housekeeper, Myra, who I missed more than anyone else from my old life.

_I don't deserve someone as good as Nathaniel. And he doesn't deserve to be stuck with someone like me. He deserves much better._

_Much_ better!

_Mountains_ better!

I knew it was true.

I knew it was true, and it bothered me. It made me angry with myself for wasting Nathaniel's time so long.

More proof that he deserved better.

If he loved me, even close to the amount of love I felt for him, it was my fault. If I hadn't dropped out of the sky, his life would have continued on without me meeting him in the garden. He'd have found his way somewhere eventually, gotten a job, lived alone, met a girl, fell in love, got married, and lived happily every after. He'd have gotten the life he deserved.

But he wouldn't.

Not as long as I was here.

I was the only thing standing between Nathaniel and his happily ever after.

That had to change.

If I left, Nathaniel could have that happily ever after.

He'd get over me.

It wasn't possible that he loved me as much as I loved him, so I was certain that he'd get over me.

I would go home.

I would heartbroken, but I would go home.

Nathaniel would get his happily ever after.

I'd be getting more than I deserved.

I sighed and shook my head to try and clear it.

It didn't work.

Ugh! Hadn't I been excited to go home only minutes ago? Or, hours, or however long it had been? I'd been ecstatic!

Maybe I could stay for a little while longer. A year, maybe. Two at most. I'd find Mandy after that and ask to be transported home.

She would, probably.

OK, maybe three years, and that was it.

_NO!_ I yelled at myself.

Honestly, every minute I spent here would just be a waste of Nathaniel's time, of his love, (if he _did_ love me) of the love that someone else deserved.

I couldn't justify another year here.

Not even a minute, but here I was, wasting it.

I would go home. And I would be happy about it. I would see Myra, make up for all the times I was nasty. I would set everything right at home. Everything would go back to normal, and I'd be the only one hurt.

But that wasn't true.

Plus, I deserved whatever hurt I'd get out of this, and then some.

I was hurting Nathaniel every second.

Ugh! I _would_ go home! I _would_ be happy about it!

**Author's Note: Alright, this story is ALMOST over, I know how I'm going to end it and I know quite a ways as to where I'll go with the sequal to this... which I'll write if you guys would be willing to read it. (Finally I'm going to finish a story: I haven't done that since, like, kindergarten:) **

**Please review!**

**I'll go back and rewrite my terrible writing in this story after I finish it...**

**Oh, and I'll tell you more about the sequal at the end of this story.**

**Thanks!**

**Jade**


	29. JackOLatern

I got up.

I felt sad - no - empty. Almost like I was a pumpkin and it was Halloween. Now that I made my heart-breaking desicion, my insides were all scooped out, and I was hollow. Next, when I left, numerous holes would be punched out of me - one for everyone I'd miss. Ella would be a square eye. Mandy would be a circular eye. My nose would be from everyone who was ever nice to me here all squished up together. The biggest hole, the jagged and rough hole, would be left by Nathaniel.

I winced.

No, that wasn't a good enough comparison.

With a Jack-O-Latern, the holes were cut out to show the brilliant light within the pumpkin. There was no brilliant light in me.

Then, again, I'm sure some people never got around to sticking candles their Jack-O-Laterns. I was one of them. I'd been a pumpkin, and now I would be something totally different (Maybe.) a Jack-O-Latern. Yes, maybe an abandoned Jack-O-Latern was a perfect comparison. My parents had abonded me, right? Well, not totally, but almost. Plus, Jack-O-Laterns didn't last very long with all the holes. Jack-O-Laterns rotted and decayed very soon after the holes were cut out of them. Maybe the same would happen to me.

Maybe everyone was like a pumpkin. A lot of people that have lost a lot turn bitter, right? It's that old saying, "Hurt people hurt people". Some sort of guardian has to carve each individual pumpkin with it's rules to the shape they wanted it. After the mentor is done, the pumpkin is a pumpkin no longer. It's a Jack-O-Latern. It's the parents' job to stick a candle in the Jack-O-Latern's center. Sometimes accidents and trageties happen and holes are poked into the Jack-O-Latern and hurt it. The holes usually only make people stronger and make the light within them seem more brilliant. Sometimes, the guardians aren't able to light the candle, and someone else would come along to do it. Some sort of mentor. Maybe Myra would be that for me, if I hadn't been incredibly rude and snotty to everyone back in New York. I would be the rare Jack-O-Latern that rotted in the shadows before it ever had a chance to shine.

But I'd had my chance.

I'd blown it.

Maybe I wasn't making any sense.

Maybe I was losing my mind.

One thing was sure; I couldn't allow myself to set eyes on Nathaniel again or I'd never be able to leave him.

It pained me even to think about him. So I couldn't allow myself even that. I might slip up.

I took a step towards the door.

"Mandy?" I whispered.

Of course she didn't hear me.

I shut my eyes tightly.

I didn't want to go out in the hallway. _He_ could be there, waiting for me. And I'd already decided that I couldn't allow myself to see him again.

My heart still ached when I tried not to think about not thinking about him.

I was about to finish the short walk to my door when I heard a soft knock on it.

I froze.

If it was - _him_ - there was no way - _he_ - could come in here.

Then I heard a very familiar hushed voice, "Sasha? It's Ella."

Ella! Maybe she would understand - but no, she wasn't in love. She'd never know how I felt right now. When she did fall in love, he would deserve her, and her him. Ella was a good person. She'd never have to protect anyone from herself.

If she came in here, I'd be jelous.

If I told her everything, she'd wouldn't understand. She'd want me to be with - _him_. And I knew that if she tried to convince me, there was no way I'd be able to convince myself to leave.

"Sasha? Are you alright?"

"No."

"Can I come in."

No.

"Yes."

She opened the door then and slid into view.

I gasped.

She looked terrible. She was dressed raggedly. Her hair was pulled back but falling out. Her hands were covered in cuts - it looked like she'd just made it out of a warzone.

"What _happened_ to you?"

She sighed.

"My Father married Dame Olga."

"Who's that?"

She eyed me dubiously.

"_Hattie_ and Olive's mother."

I gasped again.

This was my fault. I could have stopped this. I'd been too selfish. I hadn't even checked to make sure that she'd been okay after the run-in with Lucinda. I'd just let her go and run off to mope. I was such a terrible person.

I don't know if I could have stuck with my desicion, if I hadn't seen Ella.

I could have prevented this.

I was such a terrible person.

Look at the lives I'd ruined.

Ella's - _his_ - and who knew how many else's?

I was such a terrible person, I couldn't even believe it.

I knew then, that nothing was better for Nathaniel than my departure.

I had to leave before I wreaked more havoc on people's lives.

Before I ruined more lives.

"It's not - that - terrible," Ella said, concern in her voice. She took a hesitant step toward me.

I realized that tears were running down my cheeks.

_I_ made _her_ feel sorry for _me_.

It was sick.

I sniffed and wiped the tears off my face hastily.

"Sorry. It's not that. Could you ask Mandy to come in here for a minute, please? I'd like to speak to her for a moment."

"Sure."

She eyed me cautiously before turning and leaving.

_She_ was _worrying_ about _me_.

I was totally and completely sickened with myself.

She obviously didn't even blame me for this.

"Ella?"

"Yes?" She turned to face me. She had one hand on the door she'd been about to close behind her.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

But it didn't matter. No amount of 'sorry's could make it better, could change the past.

Ella's eyebrows pulled together as she frowned.

"For what?"

She honestly didn't know?

"Everything."

She looked at me funny and left, closing the door behind her. It had an air of finality to it, the door closing. Like it was signifying the closing of my time in Frell. I was about to get what I'd wanted most only a short time ago.

**Author's Note: Hey, sorry about the whole Pumpkin - Jack-O-Latern analogy, I know I rambled on and on, but I meant to have only a short reference before all the other ways it was simular to people occured to me and I just kept on going. If you don't like the directions this story is going it, know that I had to have this happen if I was going to write the sequal. **

**I don't want to spoil it if you still had hope that Sasha would change her mind, but she's going to go home. She's not going to go home in quite the way she imagined it, but she's still going to home and she won't realize that until my sequal. Sorry. If she didn't go home, I couldn't write a sequal where she sets everything right there before finding a way back to Frell and finding out about all those mysterious things that had happened to her there- you know, the languages, the fireworks, and more that you'll find out in the next (and, I think, last) chapter. She also has to re-find Nathaniel, you know.**

**Sorry and please review!**

** Jade**


	30. Home

Mandy came in a few minutes later.

I hadn't moved.

"Did you make your decision already?"

She sounded surprised.

"Yes."

"There's no hurry."

"Yes." There was a hurry. A big hurry. I _wouldn't_ change my mind, but just in case, I needed this to go fast.

Mandy pursed her lips.

"There's no going back on your decision you know."

"I know."

I did know.

All too well.

She eyed me speculatively.

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

I was sure.

Very sure.

"Well then, what did you decide?"

I was silent.

I wasn't sure if I could say it out loud.

Mandy sighed.

"I suppose I can guess. Assuming that you're still here, you want to try to leave still, right?"

"Yes."

The word burned and stuck in my throat.

"We don't have to try right now, you know. And it may not work anyway."

But it would work. I could feel deep down that it would. I couldn't allow myself to hope that it wouldn't.

And I couldn't say goodbye.

I wouldn't be able to follow through.

"Now, please."

"_Now_?"

"Yes. It's better with no goodbyes. I don't belong here."

"Listen, really, I'm not sure this is a good idea. It's still big magic..."

"Please," I whispered. _For Nathaniel_, I thought desperately, wincing as the name crossed my mind.

She seemed to find what she was looking for in my face, because she took a step back.

"Well, then. We'll try it, I guess. Picture New York City, and I'll try to put you into your imaginations- but -"

"Hmm?"

"It could go hideously wrong. You could end up in a nightmare forever with no way back. That is why you must picture this place with perfect clarity. Do not let anything vary from what it is, or you could end up where you're imagining, and it could be not the real one."

I gulped. Those were risks that I'd just have to take for Nathaniel's sake.

Mandy noticed.

"Are you still sure you want to go?"

"Absolutely." Absolutely NOT. I didn't want to go, but I would.

She sighed.

"Alright then. Picture it - perfect clarity, remember. Tell me when you're ready and you have it in your head."

"Okay."

I noticed her giving me a weird look before I closed my eyes.

Maybe it would be easier with them open.

I opened them.

Mandy was eying me expectantly.

My stomach twisted with nerves.

What if this_ did_ go hideously wrong?

At least I'd be out of Nathaniel's life.

So I let Mandy's image, along with the image of the dingy room fade into New York City.

I let a deep gravelly blackness seep into the ugly dull tiles like someone was spilling an ink-with-tiny-rocks supstance over a canvas and shaping it to what they wanted it to be.

That's what I was going to try to do.

I let the dirty, whitewashed walls fall out from all sides and let the bright light and the air in. The light was so bright, it only allowed me to see the road, and nothing else. I could feel the breeze of passing cars swirl the hair around my head, but I couldn't see the actual cars. I strained my eyes for a few seconds before I saw the dim outline of the cars. When my eyes started adjusting better, I could make out the faint outline of the dingy room I'd escaped.

I let my nostrils flare as I breathed in deeply.

I loved the way this felt.

And the_ smell_.

The smell of New York City was welcoming me back with open arms.

I felt so powerful when I was in control of my imagination like this.

The cars were on all sides of me.

They weren't quite real; they had a ghost-like quality to them, but they were getting more and more solid-looking.

As I gasped, one ran right through me.

I felt nothing, and the faceless driver seemed to see nothing.

I jumped back and stumbled over to a curb that I pictured spring up from under my feet. It worked. I could almost feel the curb beneath me. I ran my hand over it. I could feel it, but yet not totally. It was hard to describe. I suppose I would call it _surreal_ feeling.

And then I changed my mind.

I didn't want to see New York City in the daytime.

I wanted to see it in the night.

So I let the darkness seep in from all sides of me and cover the sky.

I let it coat everything over an imaginary shield.

I let suspended neon lights hold the sheild up.

Then buildings popped out of nowhere to support the lights.

I grinned.

This was so much fun!

But I was in a hurry.

I let everything else pop up at the same time - the subway grate, the rest of the lights, the people, even the signs in windows and the names of the stores. Absolutely everything. I didn't look at any names because I knew that I wouldn't know them and that could make everything go wrong.

Everything was there.

Everything was _almost_ there.

I sighed.

I was almost home, I could feel it.

I closed my eyes.

"I'm ready Mandy," I whispered.

She must have done it, because I could hear New York City as if I was there.

I took a deep breath.

I opened my eyes.

I could tell instantly - I knew from the way everything seemed to have fallen into place and finally be totally and completely solid and real...

I cast my eyes toward the sky and grinned jubilantly.

I could hear the truth radiating from every word in the short sentence I allowed my self to think.

_I was home._

* * *

Well, that's the end of this fanfiction, but NOT the end of Sasha's story. Not even close. :) Remeber, I'm writing a sequal.

Here's a rough summary of it:  
Sasha is back in New York City. Things have changed. Drastically. A few years can make a world of a difference. Her parents travel full-time nowadays, they fired Myra, Gabby is as snotty and immature as Sasha was before her adventure, and the apartment Sasha had always lived in now housed an entirely different family. Sasha finds Myra and Gabby and all that, but is very unhappy. She moves in with Myra and sets a lot of things right that she'd done wrong, and realized what her anger toward her parents had inspired her to do, and that being dealt bad cards, so to speak, is not any reason to blame the dealer, or, in Sasha's case, her parents. She realizes that it's what you do with your life that really matters.  
Myra tries unsuccessfully to lift her from the deppression she's in. Sasha uses this time to explore herself and her feelings.  
One day, when she was alone, she allowed herself to think of Nathaniel, as much as it hurt her. She allowed herself to picture him completely, his crackily voice, his shaggy brown hair with the blond highlights, every aspect perfectly. She could see him, could hear him, he almost seemed to be solidifying in Myra's kitchen. He seemed confused in just the way Sasha imagined he would look if he suddenly appeared in New York City. Sasha decides that she doesn't want his perfect image to be tainted by a backround that was not to her tastes and pictures seeing Nathaniel surrounded by Dame Olga's house with Mandy and Ella in the backround. She pictures it, (blah, blah, blah, I'll go into it more in the actual story...)  
Anyway, eventually she realizes that she's really in Frell again and Nathaniel is in front of her. Ella and Mandy are standing a little ways back. She's confused and distraught. She didn't know how it happened...  
(Also, you'll find out more about how she's able to speak Ogress, speak Kyrian, speak Ayorthian, how the fireworks appeared, and how she really got home last time...)

I hope you'll read it!

Well, I hope you enjoyed From Here To Frell.

I'll be re-writing it next...

Anyway, I want to thank everybody who reviewed/is about to review! I really appriciate input on my stories, even though I'm pretty sure that I never got around to thanking you guys before. So here it is: Thanks so much! Thanks for sticking to my story, even though it really sucked!!!

Jade


	31. Sequal Started

OK! I started my sequel! It's Sasha's Secret!

Please read it and review it!


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